The Doorway to Dawn
by Kensington
Summary: Sirius Black fell through an unnaturally shaped redstone doorway during the Battle of the Ministry. Now it calls to Harry. A HP/WoT xover.
1. The Pattern Corrects Itself

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is property of J.K. Rowling and whichever publisher she has a contract with in your territory. Warner Bros. has their hands in the pie somewhere. Wheel of Time is property of the Estate of Robert Jordan and whichever publisher he has a contract with in your territory. The only thing I have a claim to are any original characters I introduce, although I doubt I'll pay the legal fees to defend them in court.

AN: This is going to be primarily a Harry Potter story with Wheel of Time elements and a character or two. It is AU onwards for the Ministry Battle with Sirius falling through a mysterious redstone doorway instead of the veil. The Wheel of Time references should be canon up to Book 11. Constructive criticism is welcome. I'm also looking for a good beta - so please send me a message if you're interested.

* * *

The doorway called to him.

Harry Potter sat in his bed during the middle of the night contemplating his latest set of recurring dreams. Ever since he had visited that accursed room in the Department of Mysteries the doorway with its alien whispers and unnatural redstone form dominated his subconscious.

It didn't help that there wasn't much else to focus on. Thanks to the warning the Dursleys received from the members of the Order of the Phoenix, Harry was left alone. While he technically had free reign of the house, it was still unpleasant to be in the presence of the disdaining glares of his relatives. He already knew how to cook for himself, so it was simply easier for him to go down to the kitchen when no one else was home to have his choice of food to make. It was quite the pleasant experience to be able to enjoy one's own cooking for once.

Beyond the perk of enjoying his own cooking, there wasn't much else to celebrate. With Voldemort being ousted by Harry's Ministry battle, it had been deemed far too dangerous for him to leave the safety of the blood wards surrounding the property of his Aunt's house. Harry was certain that members of the Order were guarding his residence, yet to maintain the anonymity and perimeter security they had remained concealed so far. While Harry yearned to have human contact it was even more imperative for him to begin preparing somehow for the now inevitable conflict with Voldemort.

That damned prophecy. How could an entire organization justify the passiveness of their actions due to the half-crazed rant of that insane old crone Trelawney? In his opinion the only redeemable feature of that four-eyed bint was her capacity to interpret ambiguous stains. He'd love to submit her to one of those Rorschach inkblot tests that he was exposed to while in primary school.

Harry sighed again before walking towards the window to stare in the direction of downtown London. He glanced below to the immaculate lawn, wondering who was on guard duty tonight. After a few moments of contemplation, he looked out back towards London. The doorway that spoke to him as he crept through the Department of Mysteries, which swallowed Sirius in that desperate, frantic combat as Harry and his friends flew from the Hall of prophecies was there to the northeast.

For two weeks now Harry had suffered from insomnia. While he grieved for the death of Sirius it was not the murder of his godfather that dominated his mind.

The doorway called to him.

* * *

Two nights later Harry once again stared out the window. Everything was precisely the same as it had been the previous night. The streets were silent at 3am. The lamppost in front of #7 Privet Drive still flickered. He sighed as his thoughts returned to the doorway.

A soft yelp followed by a muffled thump interrupted his musings. Quickly glancing below to the lawn at this unexpected diversion he snickered to see a pair of worn down sneakers extending from nowhere. Seeing a chance to interact with one of his guards now that she broke cover Harry unlatched the window and swung it open.

"Tonks!" Harry whispered harshly. "I need to talk with you."

A hand extended out from nothing to grab onto an intangible object which revealed itself to be an invisibility cloak as a young woman dressed in homage to Sid Vicious became visible. Staring quizzically at Harry for a few moments, she nodded her head, withdrew her wand and walked towards the front door.

Harry scrambled to put on a shirt and shorts to make himself somewhat presentable before Tonks could enter his room.

With nary a sound his door opened as Tonks slid in. With a wan grin Harry raised his hand and waved to her.

"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks greeted as she sat down at the edge of his mattress. "So how may this fair lady be of service?"

"Wotcher, Tonks. I need some information," Harry muttered.

"Oh ho! And what knowledge of mine do you wish for me to impart?" Tonks winked suggestively as she began to twirl her wand absent-mindedly.

Harry blushed momentarily before he forced himself to be calm. "The doorway, the one that Sirius fell through, what precisely is it?"

At this Tonks's face sobered and her hair flicked from pink to drab brown to black. "I didn't expect you to ask that. I thought you would be asking about the dearth of owls I've seen coming and going or something a lot easier to answer."

"You mean Dumbledore didn't tell you that we agreed to suspend owl travel for the summer so no one can track them?"

"Nope," mused Tonks. "That does make sense, but I'm surprised you agreed to that. Remus told me a few days ago that you and the headmaster were practically re-enacting the cold war."

Harry chuckled briefly at this. "I'm curious as to how Remus even knows what the cold war was. And yes, when consulted with and not instructed I am capable of being reasonable with the Headmaster. "

"Good for ya squirt," chirped Tonks. "Back to the issue of the doorway. I have no clue what it is. I asked Shack about it, but he didn't know and decided that for my inquisitive nature I would get the night shifts for guarding your cute arse."

"Is there any chance you could ask Dumbledore? Tell him it's for my curiosity only and that he doesn't have to worry about me attempting a half baked rescue plan."

Tonks stayed silent at this for a few moments before walking over to him and gently embracing him. "Sure kiddo, I'd be glad to ask for you. Are you sure that you're ok here?"

Harry gave a half-crooked grin back at Tonks as she pulled away to hold him at arms length. "I'm dealing. It still hurts for sure, but I'm dealing with it."

"So why do you want to know about that doorway?"

Harry stared at Tonks briefly before replying. "Promise that this part stays between the two of us?"

"Want me to swear on my magical core and my firstborn child?"

For the first time in his recent memory Harry full out laughed. "Isn't that a little too much? Just please keep this to yourself."

"Sure thing. On Gryffindor honor," Tonks pledged as she raised her hand and put her fingers into a nonsensical gesture.

"Weren't you a badger?" Harry retorted.

"Shh, now don't be a contrary bloke. Go ahead and spill your sorrows." Tonks said as she let go of him and walked back towards the bed. Harry waited for her to get comfortable before he began to speak.

"It's hard to explain without me sounding nutters," Harry stated. He saw Tonks look at him impatiently so he hurried to continue. "When I first saw the doorway, I could hear voices coming from it."

"Huh? I've been in that room a couple times since that night and I haven't heard anything from it."

Harry simply shrugged. "If you hadn't interrupted I would have told you that only me and Luna could hear the voices." Tonks made a contrite face before signaling for him to continue. "Well, every night since I went to the ministry...I've been hearing those voices in my dreams. Actually every dream since that night has just been those voices."

Tonks's face straightened out at this and her hair flitted back to pink. "Sure you aren't just hearing things from your personal Dark Lord hotline?" Tonks said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Harry's face cracked into a smile as he mentally thanks Tonks for her efforts. "No, I'm pretty sure that this is something different. If anything it feels like these voices are protecting me from Voldemort. My scar hasn't hurt once since that night."

"Oi, that's just strange," Tonks mused. She then walked over to Harry and mussed his hair. "I best be going now, seeing as I am supposed to be guarding you. My next shift is in three nights, so I hope to have some answers to bring you. Want me to pass on any letters to anyone else while I'm here?"

"Nah, I've been too busy trying to convince myself I'm not crazy to write anything. Just let them know that I'm fine," Harry responded. "Thanks for listening Tonks."

Tonks gave him a wink, before quietly slipping out of his room. Harry returned to his position at the window as he saw footprints appear on the grass below before they magically disappeared. Basking in the feeling of benevolent human contact Harry decided it was time for him to attempt to sleep again.

In his dreams he heard the whispers.

* * *

Three nights later Harry was going stir-crazy. Now that he had an expectation to get answers the days couldn't go by fast enough. He had now completed all of his homework that did not involve a wand and discovered that he truly didn't miss anything on the telly while he was at Hogwarts.

To kill the time he had taken up meditating. To be more accurate he was attempting to meditate. After being told repeatedly the previous school year to 'clear his mind' before having his occlumency shields tested he figured that there would be a correlation between meditation and being a competent occlumens. Unfortunately, watching the _Karate Kid_ on TV did not impart the methodology of meditation correctly so all he did was learn to sit with his eyes closed.

Harry sat at his desk, tapping his fingers impatiently on its surface as he waited for Tonks to show up. He knew that he couldn't rely upon her to trip up again so there was no point in watching the lawn for signs of her appearance.

Twenty minutes later Harry's door cracked open and a black haired Tonks slid into his room before closing his door. He heard her whisper under her breath and flick her wand around a few times. It appeared that she was taking steps to insure that their conversation would not be interrupted. Tonks finally nodded and then turned around.

"Wotcher Harry!"

"Wotcher yourself," Harry replied as he watched Tonks fling herself onto his bed. "Feel free to make yourself at home."

"Will do guv," Tonks retorted.

Harry sighed as he watched Tonks sprawl out further on his bed. Her capacity to continuously be whimsical and upbeat was a source or amusement and ire to him. "So, were you able to find out anymore about the doorway?"

"And not even a 'how you're doing?'" Tonks said as she shook her head disapprovingly. "We really need to work on your people skills."

"Sod off, if I was able to talk to a decent person more than twice a month maybe I'd learn some decent people skills." In retaliation Tonks stuck out her tongue and morphed into his Aunt. "Gah! Alright alright, how are you Ms. Tonks?"

Tonks chortled and switched back into her standard form with pink hair. "I'm doing quite fine myself. And how are you Mr. Constipated?"

Harry blinked dumbly and asked "How did I get that name?"

"Oh, Moody was peeping on you for fun today and told me as we switched shifts that you had spent most the day sitting on your chair imagining that it was a wc."

"Oh, that. It's actually more than a little disturbing that man is watching me like that," Harry pondered as he tried to reckon with the concept of an elderly man watching his every move. "I'm trying to teach myself to meditate in order to help with my occlumency. Problem is that so far I've only taught myself to sit down with my eyes closed. Does meditation even help one master occlumency?"

"Bugger if I know," Tonks answered. "If you don't want me going to Snape and asking him a question, I have a good feeling that Mr. Peepers will be able to answer. Want to ask him tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes! Does that mean Moody will break cover for once and interact with me?" Harry inquired with an excited gleam in his eyes.

"Hah, you wish. No, once I told Albus that you were having questions about that doorway he managed to inform me that there will be a reading of Sirius's will tomorrow in the ministry." Tonks informed Harry who gaped before concealing his facial expressions. It was one thing to acknowledge on an intellectual basis that his godfather was dead; the distribution of Sirius's material possessions hit him on an emotional level. Tonks stopped speaking as she watched and then continued with a kind expression on her face. "I know the timing is bollocks Harry. I'm a beneficiary in the will as well and Albus didn't inform me until last night either. I'm just guessing that he's the executor of the will since due to the ambiguity of Sirius's legal status he would need a very reputable person to be executor in order to ensure that the will wasn't challenged successfully by Aunty Bella or Cissa."

Harry said nothing for several moments as he compiled what Tonks had just told him. "Alright, I understand why Dumbledore is in charge of the will. So how am I getting there?"

"Oh, you'll love this part," Tonks said as she raised her right arm in the air with her fist clenched as if she was delivering an uppercut. "Since Albus knows that I've broken my cover with you, I get to keep you company all night long to make sure you have sweet dreams. Then, tomorrow morning I'll make sure you're dressed appropriately and then pop you over to the ministry. We do the will reading there, then I pop you back over to Grimmauld Place to get you nice and drunk, take you to the Burrow to let you interact with your peers and then pop you back here so you can pass out."

As Tonks spoke with a suggestive lilt Harry's face progressively became redder. "K-k-keep me company?" Harry stammered out.

Tonks dropped her head back and full out laughed. "Apologies mate, not that type of company. I just woke up, so you'll get the bed while I'll take the chair."

"That'll work," Harry commented. "So, what did you find out about the doorway?"

"Not much. I asked my co-workers and Dumbledore. All that they knew is that it's been in England since before Hogwarts was found and that no one has ever returned once they have gone in."

"Oh. So there's no explanation as to why it's talking to me?" Harry inquired.

"Nope. Mum was the word on crazy voices in your head. Nobody mentioned anything about voices and the few transcripts I found from when prisoners were being tossed into the doorway didn't mention anything about them being able to hear anything." Tonks stood up and then walked towards the door. "Now its bed time for ya scamp. You have a big day tomorrow. I'll just sit here and browse amongst your personal belongings."

"Hey!"

The following morning began far too early for Harry. He had awoken twice from his dreams during the night only to have Tonks chat with until he fell back asleep. Now for the first time since summer began he had to worry about his appearance and personal hygiene. It had been fortuitous that Tonks was there to use her wand so she could press Harry's robes into a presentable state for the reading.

It was fortunate that the reading was at 11am. That gave time for Harry and Tonks to avoid seeing his Uncle prep himself for work and enough time for his Aunt to dress herself and leave for a neighborhood association meeting. Thankfully Dudley was out with his friends and was a non-factor.

At 10:30 sharp Harry stood in front of his room dressed in his robes waiting for Tonks to finish tidying herself up. He was frustrated that he had been instructed to leave his wand behind. Not only was it summer and he was still a minor, but apparently a long-standing rule barred the presence of wands for beneficiaries at the reading of wills. According to Tonks, in 1758 the entire Corkewash family wiped itself out to the last member as they dueled to inherit a larger share of the former patriarch's estate. That was also the last will reading permitted on Gringotts territory.

"Ready to see your chums?" Tonks inquired as she walked out of the bathroom ready to depart. He noted that her hair was in a respectable light brown shade at shoulder-length.

"It'll be nice. You sure Mrs. Weasley isn't going to clamp down on our plans at Headquarters?"

Tonks simply smiled slyly. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Bill was out in April with some of his co-workers and locked down the Burrow with wards. So she'll be there cooking a big meal for a nice supper. Now all we have to do is drink our merry way beforehand and then tell her that Fletcher had trick bottles of butterbeer laying around."

Harry smiled and shook his head. He knew that this ruse wouldn't stand up to scrutiny, but was thankful that Tonks was willing to put herself on the block to the other adults in the Order to make sure that today was as bearable as possible. It helped to know that one of the Sirius's closest relatives did not hold him responsible for his death.

After his furious meltdown in the Headmaster's office after the battle, Harry had gone out to the Quidditch pitch to brood. There he had reached a satisfying conclusion. While Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange, Dumbledore, Kreacher, Sirius and Harry himself had played roles that resulted in Sirius's death, Snape was the most culpable for his death. If that bastard hadn't insisted upon ramming into his mind with all the delicacy of a glow-sniffing unicorn without any relevant instructions, Voldemort wouldn't have had easy access into his mind.

Harry truly questioned his Headmaster's wisdom in appointing Snape to teach him the art of occlumency. Both Dumbledore and Snape had deigned not to divulge any relevant theory behind the obscure art, but he could assume that trust between the student and teacher would be beneficial to the process of learning. Harry was pretty sure that while Dumbledore may have just been negligent in his ideas and oversight, Snape was quite complicit in insuring that Harry did not properly learn the rare art.

Additionally the poor timing of the reinforcements to the ministry meant that Snape must have sat on his greasy ass for quite a while. It had taken over three hours to fly from Scotland down to the ministry. Amazingly, it had taken nearly four hours upon notification for Snape to rally the Order to the ministry. With a reaction time like that Harry didn't have the slightest bit of confidence of his survival if Voldemort were to launch a direct attack upon his location.

Returning from his inner monologue, Harry focused back on Tonks.

"Now come here and give me a nice'ol hug. I'm going to side-apparate you to the ministry entrance." Tonks stopped speaking as she saw Harry's wariness and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not going to splinch you. You'll just fell an odd squeezing sensation and then you'll be there."

"Alright," Harry agreed.

Seconds later Harry and Tonks were outside the phone booth entrance to the ministry in London. Upon reaching the front desk Harry's nerves grew when Tonks submitted her wand for safekeeping at the front desk upon announcing that they were there for a will reading. Other than Tonks and her parents, the other members of the Black family were the Malfoys and the Lestranges. He did not want to gamble his life on the odds that a member of either of those families would adhere to ministry policy.

Viewing the Atrium made the muscles in Harry's stomach clench. Less than a month had passed since he fought Lestrange and Voldemort in this room. He stopped when he realized that all of the damage to the Atrium had been repaired.

"Hey Tonks, how did they fix up this room so fast?"

Tonks snorted and scowled. "Fudge, in realizing that You-Know-Who had finally returned, decided that his first act in combating him would be to repair all of the damage so that the ministry could create the image of business as usual. Bleeding fool."

Harry just shook his head in dismay. He had thought that it was impossible for his opinion of Fudge to drop further, but the fool was hell-bent on lowering it.

The pair resumed walking again until they reached the lifts. Harry awkwardly grabbed a copy of the Prophet from a stand and held it up to his face in order to obscure his scar. Tonks simply chuckled and dragged him onto the lift.

"So who is going to be here?" Harry inquired after being led off at the 4th floor.

"Dunno. Dumbledore just told me that I was to come and to bring you. As far as I know…oh no," Tonks groaned as she saw the couple waiting outside of a conference room.

"Nymphadora! It's so good to see you. It's been nearly a week since you last called," a middle-aged woman called out.

"Hello mum. Dad. It's good to see you."

"Hello princess, it's good to see you as well," Tonks's father greeted. "Who is this young man you're escorting? Your date?"

Both Harry and Tonks blushed deep red at this question. At a much later date Harry would look back and cherish the memory as the first time he saw Tonks blush.

"Daaad! No, this is Harry Potter. I'm escorting him to the reading. Harry, this is my dad Ted and this is my mum Andromeda. You can't call them Tonks because that's my name."

"Nymphadora really," Andromeda chided softly. "You have a beautiful name and you need to accept it. Harry it's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too ma'am. Mr. Tonks it's a pleasure."

"Call me Ted, please. We're just waiting for Albus to arrive to get things underway."

"I really hope we're the only people attending," Andromeda said with a nervous look. "I am not looking forward to seeing either of my sisters."

"Alas, you shall not be reunited today," Dumbledore pronounced as he opened the conference room from the inside. He immediately made eye contact with Harry before gesturing to the group at large to follow him. "Unfortunately the only other beneficiary to attend would be Mr. Lupin, but he is beyond our reach at this time so I will serve as both executor and proxy. Come in dear friends, so we may partake this sad business."

An icy chill overcame Harry upon the sight of Dumbledore. Despite coming to a mutual agreement for his conditions during the summer, he could not forget that Dumbledore had virtually trapped Sirius in his home and set Snape upon Harry. Compounded with the fact that the rationale Dumbledore had given to Harry for stranding him with his relatives seemed to violate his "do right instead of easy" creed, any fondness Harry may have once held for his Headmaster had severely diminished.

With a polite nod Harry followed the Tonks into the conference room. A large rectangular hardwood table dominated the room. On one side an attractive blonde witch sat with a neat pile of paperwork to her left. Dumbledore walked around the table and sat to her immediate right. Harry attempted to sit on the far right of the opposite side but Tonks shoved him to her left that placed him in between Tonks and her mom. Was he to be a human shield from her parents?

"Now that we are all here, let me do the introductions. Beneficiaries, this is Abigail Smith, Sirius's barrister. Starting from your right Abigail are Ted and Andromeda Tonks, Harry Potter and Nymphadora Tonks." Dumbledore stated gesturing to Abigail who waved politely.

"Before I divulge the contents of the will, there is some paperwork that needs to be filed immediately to ensure a smooth process," Abigail began. "Mrs. Tonks, would you be so kind as to sign this paperwork which recognizes you once more as a member of the Black family? Sirius went to great care to make sure that you could once again be a Black while still being a Tonks."

Blinking owlishly Andromeda grabbed a quill and quickly inked her name upon the appropriate line.

"Excellent, you are now the eldest member of the Black family. While your sister Bellatrix is older, due to the fact that she was actually convicted of her crimes and is intended to be serving a life sentence in Azkaban she is disqualified to inherit the status of the eldest member. It would be nice if you were to change your last name officially to Black, but you are now the principle branch of the Black family, which gives you and your descendants de facto control over the Black family assets and properties."

Andromeda continued to stare blankly and gripped Ted and Harry's hands for support. Shocked at this unexpected contact Harry looked for assistance from Tonks to pry him loose from her mother. No assistance would be forthcoming from her as her brain apparently took a vacation at the news that she was now the heir-apparent to the most noble and ancient family of Black.

A soft cough from Dumbledore brought the Tonks family back to reality and thankfully liberated Harry's hand. Harry strived to remain calm at the twinkle present in Dumbledore's eyes. How could the old man find humor in this solemn occasion?

"Now to the next order of business," Abigail continued in a bored tone. "Mr. Harry James Potter is currently without a magical guardian. Mr. Black filled this role, which was filled by Mr. Dumbledore, with dubious legality I may add, during Mr. Black's confinement." A frown overcame Dumbledore's face as Harry's calm broke and he openly scowled at the headmaster.

"Mr. Black has drafted paperwork to make you Mr. Potter's magical guardian," Abigail gestured to Andromeda Tonks. "Is this permissible to both of you?"

Harry attempted to weigh the pros and cons of this move by Sirius. It would help to take him out from the direct control of Dumbledore. Positive. He had no clue who Andromeda Tonks was beyond Tonks's mother. Negative. Tonks was a lot of fun, so anyone who spawned her couldn't be that bad. Positive. What exactly was a magical guardian?

"What does a magical guardian do?" Harry asked.

"A magical guardian is responsible for the magical education of their charge, managing their personal finances until the charge reaches maturity and may be held responsible for magic related crimes committed by the charge if they are underage."

Harry opened his mouth and then hesitated. It sounded nice, but what did Andromeda think? More importantly with his penchant for finding trouble that last clause could easily complicate the lives of the Tonks.

"What are your thoughts on this Mrs. Tonks?" Harry inquired.

"It's Andromeda. I'll admit that this is unexpected, but I don't see why this should be much of an issue. You'll reach majority in just over a year," Andromeda shrugged.

Harry smiled wryly at this. "You are aware of who I am? Less than a year ago I was in this ministry on trial for defending myself against dementors. It would be a safe bet that I end up in the crosshairs of the ministry once again this year."

"Mr. Potter does raise an excellent point Andromeda," Dumbledore interjected. "If you were to assume this position you must prepare for the full wrath of the ministry."

Harry glared openly at Dumbledore. Where was the subtle politician? That statement so deliberately riled Harry that he nearly believed that Dumbledore was purposely driving a wedge between them. The ludicrousness of that thought gave Harry the capacity to calm down though and regain his center.

"I don't want to place your family in danger Mrs. To…Andromeda," Harry amended at the sharp look she gave him.

"But mum! I've always wanted a Harry Potter doll. If Harry becomes my legal magical brother I can take him shopping and make him dress in funny ways…" Tonks trailed off at the strange looks she was receiving from everyone in the room. At least she looked excited at the possibility of having closer ties to Harry.

Ted leaned into to whisper to Andromeda for a few minutes while Harry glanced at the barrister. If Sirius was involved in the selection of her, it wasn't necessarily her legal skills that caught his attention. He smiled at the thought of his fugitive godfather taking time during Harry's fourth year to go hook up with this bird of a barrister.

"Harry, we've discussed this and if you're willing we'll sign the paperwork," Andromeda murmured in what he assumed was a motherly tone.

"Mrs. Tonks, are you sure you wish to place your family in such a risky position?" Dumbledore inquired before Harry could respond.

"I don't see much risk involved seeing as how he is only at Hogwarts while actively participating in the magical world," Andromeda retorted.

"Wait wait. If mum's now the head of the Black family, does that mean she now owns Headquarters?" Tonks inquired.

Dumbledore's expression tightened into neutrality. "That would appear to be the case. It appears that there would be a most secure location for you and your husband to live at as long as I live to maintain the fidelius charm."

"See Ted, we'll be safe," Andromeda affirmed to her husband before turning back to Harry. "So are you interested?"

"Yes. It will be nice to have a magical guardian who puts my wellbeing first," Harry said in an unsubtle dig to Dumbledore.

"Very well, will both of you please sign here?" Abigail gestured to the document. Andromeda grabbed the quill and signed first before handing the quill over to Harry to sign.

"Our next order of business is the actual distribution of the estate," Abigail continued while grabbing another paper from the pile. "Sirius's real estate and liquid assets were to be given to a non-present party, so that will not be at issue here today. To Harry Potter, you are to receive three trunks of personal belongings which can be found labeled in Vault 572 and an item labeled 'motorcycle.' To Nymphadora Tonks, you are to receive one trunk of personal belongings which can be found labeled in Vault 572. Are there any questions or clarifications?"

Both Harry and Tonks shook their head in the negative.

"Good, that concludes our business here today. Incidentally, this is the last of my outstanding business I had on the British Isles. I wish you all the best of luck with this You-Know-Who business. Have a pleasant day." Abigail promptly stood up and sauntered out without looking back.

Silence reigned for several moments for the remaining occupants. Finally Dumbledore excused himself saying that he had a meeting to attend and would forward to seeing Harry tonight at the Burrow. With that Tonks's parents said their goodbyes before affirming that they would be glad to coordinate with the Weasley's to meet up with everyone that night.

"Oi brother. C'mon, we got to head out to do our six hour Irish wake," Tonks cajoled Harry as she began to walk out back towards the lifts.

"Are you sure this is a smart idea? Won't your parents be upset?"

"Nah, remember we have our air-tight alibi. Fletcher spiked our butterbeer. Now let's go speak of fond memories of Sirius."

Harry had to hide a smile at this as he entered the elevator. Tonks really had done her best to make this day as good as possible. Looking over, he was surprised to see her frown. She merely pointed to the arrows, which were pointed down as they descended further into the ministry.

It was when they had dropped down to the sixth floor that Harry began to hear faint whispers. He stiffened, recognizing them for those from the redstone doorway. By the time the lift had passed the eighth floor it was if he had tapped into a clear radio signal. The phrase _sedai_ kept getting bandied around, but he was utterly clueless as to what it meant.

"Oi, alright mate? You're looking mighty pale there," Tonks observed with a worried expression.

There was no harm in confiding to Tonks. She already knew of the voices.

"Remember those voices I told you about?" Harry whispered to Tonks as he leaned in so no one else in the lift would hear. "The closer we get to the Department of Mysteries the louder I hear them."

He could see Tonks's face scrunch up in further concern. It reminded him of his second year when he was the only one to hear the voices in the wall. Did the doorway lead to a realm of snakes?

"Huh. Well, the fact that you seem to be consistent in your crazy may mean that you're not crazy," Tonks whispered back.

"Thanks for the vote for my sanity."

"You have been fixated on this doorway apparently," Tonks mused. Her eyes lit up and Harry could practically see the image of a light bulb turning on above her head. "Well, we may as well just check it out. Follow my lead."

Harry gaped as they reached the level of the Department of Mysteries. Tonks exited the left along with three other passengers as they headed for the now manned entrance. Seeing an opportunity to learn more of the doorway with its voices, he followed her. By now he felt as if he were in between two individuals in a heated conversation. Why couldn't he understand a blasted word of this language?

He dutifully followed Tonks up to the checkpoint. He was astonished to see her gain entry for the two of them by simply flashing her badge and stating that she was escorting him to the doorway to pay homage to his dead godfather. Security truly was pathetic at the ministry.

His heart clenched as he approached the room with the doorway. This is where he and Neville had attempted to make their last stand and where Sirius had died. He nearly stumbled as he entered the room. The voices were now a symphony cascading through his head virtually deafening him.

He could not hear Tonks yell his name as he approached the doorway in a dazed manner. His tunnel vision did not see her run towards him in an attempt to stop him from getting too close nor the people run in to the room alerted by the yells.

Harry also failed to see Tonks trip right before she reached him, pushing the two of them forward through the doorway.

* * *

The voices were silent.

Harry sighed in relief as he stopped hearing imaginary voices. He did groan as he heard a slight wail uttered by Tonks.

"Oh god mum said my clumsiness would be the death of me one day," Tonks moaned in mortification.

Slightly alarmed at her statement Harry took in his surroundings as he laid face down. The floor felt like stone and was a polished glass-like white. Raising his head he nearly gaped in astonishment as he sat amongst a forest of pillars. Each pillar appeared to be star-shaped with eight ridges and made of a glassy black substance. The sharp edges of the ridges emitted a dull yellow light that illuminated…wherever they were. Looking further up Harry could only see the lights disappear into an unnatural murky blackness that truly failed to inspire any hope for his situation.

"Wot the bleeding hell?" Tonks exclaimed as she stood up and took in her surroundings. She reached down and yanked Harry to his feet while she continued to stare. "Are you with me now Harry? Oh sodding hell, we don't have our wands!"

"Yeah, no more voices. How did we end up here? The last thing I remember we were approaching the room with the doorway."

"Well, you decided to do a nutter and walked towards the doorway like an automation and just before I could swoop in and rescue you…I err…kind of tripped and knocked us through," Tonks muttered in an embarrassed tone.

"Another one so soon?

Harry and Tonks spun around to where they had fallen in only to find the redstone doorway gone. In its place stood a tall pale white man. Although Harry couldn't pin it, his physical characteristics screamed 'not human' to him. He was clad in a kilt and leather straps with silver studs that crisscrossed his arms and chest. Scrutinizing his face Harry was faced with large colorless eyes and…fox ears that lay across the top of his head?

"Who are you? And what do you mean so soon? Do you know where Sirius is?" Harry asked as he struggled to grab his wand only to remember that it was back at the Dursleys.

"So many questions. If you were not meant to be here I would say that you should be speaking with my brethren. But the wheel weaves as the wheel wills and here you are meant to be," the strange fox-like man replied.

"Do you know what happened to Sirius?" Harry repeated. He was proud that his voice could sound so firm while he was defenseless in an alien land.

"He violated the rules. I am joyous that neither of you have. You have no iron, no devices for making music and no devices for making light on you," the man stated in a flat tone.

"What happens to violators of the rules? And how did Sirius violate the rules?" Tonks asked in a sober tone.

"He brought a stick that made light. Violators have their threads come to an end."

"You killed Sirius?" Harry asked in a low voice.

"He violated the rules that bind our treaty with your kind," the man growled out in a rough voice. "But that matters not. You were never supposed to exist Harry Potter. Only due to the mechanizations of Ba'alzamon were you spun here. Fear not, another has already paid the price. We shall return you to your proper place in the wheel so you can fulfill that which you were meant to."

Harry and Tonks shared a concerned glance at this. That definitely sounded ominous.

"I'm afraid I can't leave," Harry stated with a confidence he did not have. "I have an obligation to the people here, I am bound by prophecy to fulfill a task here."

A harsh guttural laugh in reply did little to raise their spirits.

"You mean that lady who can barely see the pattern two stone throws ahead of her?" sneered the man. "She cannot even touch the true source and yet you dare to claim that she can see further than us? You are bound by prophecies far greater in strength than that which resided in your ministry."

Tonks quickly morphed into a facsimile of Harry and pushed him behind her. "I won't let you take him!"

"What you want and what you receive are two entirely different things. Time grows short woman. Fear not, if your charge survives his task we shall return him to you in one form or another. He may even then wield 'the power the Dark Lord knows not,'" the man stated with a smirk.

Shock flowed through Harry's body. This man knew the prophecy? And what did he mean that he was bound by other prophecies?

Abruptly the unnaturally shaped redstone doorway appeared to their left. The man waived his arm casually and Tonks was flung through the doorway only to have it disappear.

"You have an impurity attached to your soul," the man noted as he approached Harry. "It will have to be purged."

Harry found himself frozen in place as the man reached with his right hand and grazed his scar.

Pain unimaginable ripped through his head from where his scar was. The pain spread throughout his body with an alarming speed that made him feel as if he were being burnt and frozen simultaneously. The pain reached a crescendo and then Harry knew no more.

* * *

On the slopes of the Dragonmount a newborn's cry pierced the air as he rested on blood soaked snow. The Dragon was reborn.


	2. Homecoming

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Wheel of Time. They belong to their respective owners. I'm also making no money off of this. You could make the case however that is with their advertising revenue. Go sue them, not me.

**A/N: This chapter will contain several references to characters, events and places from the Wheel of Time. This is an aberration, as future chapters will deal with situations solely from the Harry Potter universe. Explanations for several of the concepts will be forthcoming in future chapters. While I heartily recommend that anyone unfamiliar with this series simply purchase it, there is always a handy wikipedia reference. **

Full Sentences in italics will be lines spoken by Lews Therin. Only Harry/Rand can hear them.

Big thanks to Willow26 for beta'ing this puppy.

Enjoy the read.

* * *

Nymphadora Tonks was experiencing the worst week in her life. Previously that honor had gone to when she had sent a stunner at a suspect in front of an Apothecary, missing him and igniting the inventory. That had cost her a large portion of her paycheck for nearly a year. Now though, she held the dubious honor of accidentally knocking the Boy-Who-Lived through the doorway of death in the Department of Mysteries.

Upon being flung out of the doorway like a rag doll, she had charged back towards it intent on returning to Harry. To her horror she had only ran through the doorway. Whatever magic responsible for allowing the doorway to transport people to that realm seemed to have disappeared.

Five days later she wasn't sure if she could feel worse if she was sharing a cell with a dementor. She had been detained to the Department of Mysteries, confined to the living quarters for Unspeakables, unless she was being brought to a room for debriefing, always escorted by at least two Unspeakables. Her wand was still being held at the front desk. Personally she was just waiting for criminal charges to be filed against her so she could be shipped off to Azkaban.

The Unspeakables were the only ones who seemed to be delighted in this turn of events. She was the first person to ever return after entering the doorway. Her interrogations with them were always calm on their end - she still would cry at the drop of a hat - but they truly seemed interested in what she experienced. The reference to this 'rue source' and the 'pattern' seemed to fascinate them. Although she had absolutely no clue as to what they meant, the bloody grey cloaks were all a twitter in trying to find out what this 'true source' was and how to access it.

Dumbledore was much harder to deal with. For the first time in her life she had seen him in a towering rage. She had feared for her life as she felt the waves of magic roll off of him, as he demanded to know why she had brought Harry to the Department of Mysteries. Thankfully several Unspeakables had ran into the room and separated them once his magic output surpassed some unknown threshold. An Unspeakable had then led Dumbledore aside and explained the situation in detail. The fact that apparently other prophecies were at work here and the concept that this chain of events were potentially inevitable had helped to calm him down. He had simply made it clear that he expected transcripts of the sessions with Tonks before storming out.

Thankfully she hadn't seen anyone else from the Order. She assumed that they were trying to keep the incident quiet. She was just thankful her parents or Mrs. Weasley hadn't charged down yet to hold her accountable.

A soft chime rang throughout her room, signaling yet another debriefing from the Unspeakables. As she walked towards the room, she could only wonder what had become of Harry Potter.

* * *

Rand al'Thor came to consciousness with a start. He had no time to bask in sleep as they made the final push for Shayol Ghul. He reached out through his Warder bonds to feel his wives only to find…nothing,

Near panic gripped him as he seized _saidin_. Where were they? He knew that they were alive when he had gone to sleep. While Aviendha and Elayne had slept in his tent he knew that Min was safe back in Caemlyn. So how could they have died without his knowledge?

Light! He remembered.

Tarmon Gai'don. The last battle.

He recalled the carnage. Nearly every able-bodied person marching through the Blight. The _to'raken_ of the Seanchan filling the skies, the song of the Aiel as they ran abreast with Shienar lancers, and the creak of wagons carrying men and supplies in their last stand. Arrows blackening out the sun, goose bumps coursing through his skin as channeling circles of both _Aes_ _Sedai_ and _Asha'man_ weaved flows of power that punched through the hordes of Shadowspawn. The unearthly beautiful cry of the Horn of Valere. The stench of death, already present from the Blight itself, augmented with the decay of dying humans and Trollocs by the thousands.

The desperation as he and Nynaeve led the assault of their elite against Moridin and the remaining Forsaken. Watching Egwene and Logain channel with abandon as they forged _cuendillar_ to reseal the prison of the Dark One. Fighting on the edge of being burnt out as he guarded their position from a charge by Shaidar Haran. And finally nothing.

Now he was somewhere. Did they succeed in resealing the Dark One? Or was he now like Birgitte, residing in _Tel'aran'rhiod_ until it was time for him to be spun out again?

Standing he surveyed his surroundings. In a forest of pillars, he recognized the location. He had to be in the _ter'angreal_ that Mat had encountered in Rhuidean. Didn't it cease to work when Moiraine had thrown herself and Lanfear through it in Cairhien? Looking down at himself, he was clad in a clean white wool shirt and leather breeches. Last he remembered he was wearing a uniform of an _Asha'man _that had been ripped to shreds and soaked in blood.

Wait. There was a mirror on that pillar. As he approached it he was surprised to not see his reflection. Instead, a scrawny pale teenager in a black robe seemed to mimic his every move. Rand studied the boy curiously. With his unkempt black hair and green eyes he looked like an innocent child.

Rand approached the mirror cautiously, beginning to feel queer as he noted how the mirror image mimicked his every move. Letting out a sigh he was unsurprised to see his counterpart copy him. He began to think that this wasn't even a mirror.

Reaching the mirror he traced the intricately carved frame. Foxes and snakes carved from what looked to be marble chased one another. He snorted. That was a definite sign that he was in the realm of the Aelfinn and Eelfinn. Without a second thought he touched the mirror at the same place his counterpart did.

He immediately collapsed. Pain wracked his body as he could feel himself been stretched and compacted all at once. For several minutes, he simply lay paralyzed, as his physical body was altered. Finally, the pain subsided. Standing on shaky feet, he looked back into the mirror.

This was not him. It was as if he and the reflection had decided to physically merge. He had lost five inches and was now at an even six feet. His hand! His left hand was whole once more!

His hair was now the unkempt black and his eyes were now the emerald green of the teenager. Thankfully he still appeared to be in his mid-twenties and maintained the physical conditioning that he had. Rolling up his plain white cotton sleeves he saw that a dragon still adorned both of his arms while herons marked his palms.

A dull pressure began to build in his head. Flashes of…something began to flicker throughout him. His head began to throb as memories of being locked in a cupboard, studying in a castle and visiting a run down home began to course through his head. Light! He never felt like this, not even when Lews Therin had begun to rant or try to control his use of _saidin_. He felt as if he was both Rand al'Thor and Harry Potter at once.

He was Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn. He was Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. He was Harry Potter and Rand al'Thor. He truly was the Wheel's bitch. Memories of two lives conflicted one another as they integrated. He could now recall casting a Patronus Charm as well as weaving balefire.

He had spent sixteen sheltered years living as Harry Potter, yet nearly thirty years as Rand al'Thor. He began to suspect what had occurred. The Eelfinn had stated that if he succeeded he would be returned in one form or another. They must have been victorious, thank the Light! There was a chance that his wives lived along with his children.

Despite the momentary joy brought to him from the fact that the Light was successful, the void left by the loss of his bonded crushed down upon him. He sank down to his knees in grief.

_We were promised rest…the Eelfinn, tricksters all of them…Ilyena! Light Ilyena_! Blood and ashes. Lews Therin had come along for the ride.

He tried to bore a gateway but the flows slid off one another. It made sense. Lanfear had been trapped here and she could weave a gateway.

Trapped and emotionally spent he lay down and welcomed the bliss of sleep.

* * *

He woke up with a start. Whether it was his aunt yelling at him or the chime of perimeter wards alerting him to the presence of Shadowspawn, he always transitioned from sleep to alertness near instantaneously.

It was odd, having two incarnations sharing the same brain. With Lews Therin, it was if he had two people sharing his head fighting for control of _saidin_. With Harry Potter and Rand al'Thor in his head he truly felt as if he was both individuals at once. The memories and emotional associations with both lives were fully integrated. He attached the same value to the taste of butterbeer as he did to fresh honeycakes of Mistress al'Vere.

What did differ to him was that past the age of 16, his memories of Rand became utterly dominant. It was as if he chronologically associated his life of Harry Potter to that of Rand al'Thor. He looked back upon his life as Harry Potter as if he were recalling his childhood. The loss of Sirius was dwarfed by the loss of scores upon scores of men and women who died under his command. Especially the women. Would he ever see his wives and children again?

He was unsure how to refer to himself. He reasoned that most people didn't have to choose between two equally valid identities. He would just have to assume whichever identity dependent upon whom he interacted with.

A soft female moan reached his ears. So he wasn't alone. Walking with an awkward stride he moved towards the source. It was disconcerting to be both taller than he was as Harry and shorter than he was as Rand. He began to appreciate his memories of Tonks better knowing that she had to deal with a varying center of balance. He edged around a pillar and sighed in consternation.

In front of him lay Egwene, noticeably disoriented. She was clad in a fine grey cloak with her dark brown hair spread out like a fan to her mid-back. Watching her, the amount of time it took her to come fully awake surprised him. He figured that her strength in Dreaming would condition her to wake like him.

"Gawyn! Gawyn! Is anybody there?"

He restrained himself from chuckling. To see the Amyrlin so noticeably disoriented was truly a rare sight. Egwene had always taken such care to appear proper, even as a child. She would attempt to switch his hide if she knew what he was thinking. He couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face as he saw her collect herself and stand up in a fluid motion.

"Hello Egwene."

She pivoted towards him with alarming speed. Did he look so bad when he had first come to? Thankfully there were no witnesses.

"Who are you?" Egwene demanded in a cool tone.

_Who is she to make demands!_ Lews Therin raged in his head. Rand shook his head to dismiss the comment. "Peace Egwene. It's Rand."

"You are not. I grew up with that woolhead. I am not in the mood to play games with you _stranger_."

Rand rolled back his sleeves to display his markings. "I am caught between incarnations. I am not in the mood to play the Great Game either, Amyrlin," he said in a sharp tone. "I am…quite distraught over the apparent severing of my Warder bonds with my wives." He snorted. "I am not distressed at the loss of Alanna's."

"Light! Rand, is that really you?" Egwene asked breathlessly. He was truly surprised, she sounded nearly as sweet as she did before Moiraine started her on the path to becoming an _Aes Sedai_. "Where are we?"

"I believe we are in the realm of the Eelfinn, if Mat was accurate in his storytelling. As to why, I think we are about to deal with an unintended consequence of an action of Ishamael."

Egwene schooled her features and raised a cool eyebrow. "What did you mean that you are in between incarnations? Dare I ask what action Ishamael took?"

Rand briefly summarized his life as Harry Potter and his previous encounter with the Eelfinn. "It is my suspicion that I am about to be thrown back into the life of Harry Potter. If that is the case you shall have to get used to calling me Harry."

"I think I'll just call you a woolhead. It will suffice no matter what incarnation you're in."

_Insufferable Aes Sedai!_ _May the Creator purge you from existence._

"Do not test me _mother_," Rand growled accenting 'mother' as if to mock her station.

"You should not make yourself so easy to test then," Egwene retorted coolly.

Rand pictured the flame to push his frustration aside. His anger was irrational when dealing with Egwene. She embraced becoming an _Aes Sedai_ far too easily. Where his Elayne had preserved her character through the training and Nynaeve blissfully kept her sharp tongue, there remained virtually no trace of the Egwene that existed before Moiraine entered their lives.

"Very well. Call me what you will. If we are on Earth, I ask that you follow my lead. There are vast differences in the technology and society itself between both worlds, but…I lacked understanding of them prior to my rebirth as Rand. The people I associated with…are incapable of seeing an unbiased view of the 'magic' and 'non-magic' worlds. Give me time so that I can inform you from an impartial view."

Egwene studied him as if his face could reveal the veracity of his claims. After several moments she nodded her head. "I can trust you. You may drive me to the edge of madness, but Light help me I trust you." This calmed him, although Lews Therin continued his diatribe against her. It did help that not once did he feel the goose bumps that were indicative of an _Aes Sedai_ embracing _saidar_. "It makes sense for you to be here, but for the Light of me I cannot understand as to why I am here?"

"You are the price that was paid."

Once again a fox-man had appeared behind them without any warning. At least he knew it was an Eelfinn now. He was clad in the same clothing and for all he knew it was the same one he encountered earlier.

"What do you mean I am the price that was paid?" Egwene demanded without raising her tone.

"We returned your Dragon to his rightful place in the Pattern. In exchange, we were to receive the Amyrlin as soon as he completed his task."

Egwene gaped, losing her cool. If he ever saw a Pensieve again, Rand would take great delight in showing this memory.

"Who negotiated me as their price!? Wait. The _ter'angreal_ to enter here was in Rhuidean. I know of no _Aes Sedai_ who entered this."

"Did your mentor Moiraine not enter? No matter, it was not she. It is presumptuous to think that an _Aes Sedai_ bartered you as their coin," the man stated with an eerie grin.

"Cease your mocking of us," Rand stated dangerously. "Why did you tear me from my family?"

"Don't you remember? You have an obligation here. You are bound by prophecy to fulfill a task here. Your words I believe."

He poured his anger into the flame and seized _saidin _but once again the flows slid apart from one another as if he were mixing oil and water.

"No need to be hasty human. Remember, the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. I believe you have overstayed your welcome."

The man pushed his hand forward and Rand felt himself fly backwards. Twisting his neck he had time to see the redstone _ter'angreal_ before everything changed.

Where they once stood amongst a forest of unnatural pillars, they were now facing the _ter'angreal_ and an obsidian wall. Turning around he saw that they were in the dark cavernous room in the Department of Mysteries that hosted the doorway. The desks manned with people in grey cloaks was new though. He did not like how three of them raised their wands towards him and Egwene while two more sent Patronus Charms out of the room.

"You two! Stay where you are!"

Not bloody likely. Rand seized _saidin_ smoothly while deciding upon a plan of action. He bore a hole through the pattern directly in front of him so the gateway would intercept any spells sent their way. "You first."

Egwene took her time to straighten her cloak before primly stepping through the threshold. Rand followed immediately and released the weave holding the gateway together.

They were in a gloomy run-down room. A thick layer of dust covered the surface of the room indicating that it hadn't been used in some time. Two twin beds dominated the room while a dresser stood against the far wall. Rand quickly weaved his standard wards for privacy and protection, along with a solid wall of air that covered all six sides of the room. He hoped the barrier of air would stop someone from Apparating inside.

"Welcome to number twelve Grimmauld Place. You should start calling me Harry now."

* * *

Dumbledore emerged from the cool water of the Pensieve and stroked his beard. Truly amazing. Two more individuals had emerged from the redstone doorway. That made it three just within in a week, where it had been zero for over a thousand years prior.

That strange wall of silver light that appeared out of nowhere was quite confounding. In all his years with magic he had never seen anything like it. Perhaps it was some method used for teleportation. The seamless 5-centimeter deep and 1-centemeter wide rut that it had dug into the floor of the room beneath it lead him to believe it held a different purpose. Perhaps it was a distraction used to allow the individuals escape or it was a type of weapon that they created in case the Unspeakables attacked them. Time would reveal its purpose one way or another.

The individuals that emerged from the doorway were what gained his attention. The woman in her grey cloak looked like no one he knew. Short and from her face quite beautiful, he assumed she would stick out. The only perplexing factor was determining her age. Her face held a timeless quality that identified her as neither young nor old.

The man had a more than passing resemblance to Harry. He had the same black unkempt hair with emerald eyes. Beyond those identifying features the man deviated from Harry. For one thing he was noticeably older and taller. His skin was far more tan. Most importantly, there was no scar on his forehead.

Wait. Harry Potter resembled James Potter. Would it not be unreasonable that the son of Harry Potter resemble Harry Potter? How sad, the doorway must lead to a realm where time passed far faster than it did here. He wondered if the woman was Harry's daughter.

Dumbledore slipped a lemon drop out of his pocket and popped into his mouth as he pondered this quandary. Would the prophecy apply to Neville or a child of Harry? Or did Tom win by default?

There was only one thing to do. He would have to summon the order to meet in full strength at Number 12 Grimmauld Place and disclose the events of the past week. Oh yes. He nearly forgot that Nymphadora was still being held down here. He would have to arrange her release in time for the meeting.

* * *

"Fascinating. Magic seems to be very flexible in its uses. Are you sure there is no difference in its application between male and female users?"

Harry had just explained the principles of magic to Egwene. She had noticeably regained her center upon leaving the Department of Mysteries. He reasoned that she was embracing the rosebud to avoid dealing with the loss of Gawyn. He understood. He was focusing on the flame to avoid his own losses.

It had been a long day. They had arrived at Grimmauld Place as the sun rose in the east. They remained in Harry and Ron's old room until their hungry grew. Venturing into the kitchen, they were pleasantly surprised to find it fully stocked. That did indicate that Grimmauld Place was still being used by the Order and that they would be forced to encounter them sooner or later. The mansion was unusually clean, which begged the question if Kreacher was responsible. Of him though, there was no sign. After eating to their content, they relocated to the library. There he had found a few dusty tomes that covered the basics of magic and used them to refresh his own memory while explaining the concepts to Egwene.

Egwene's presence was more helpful than he anticipated after their testy exchange upon awakening amongst the Eelfinn. While they would consistently clash over strategy as Tarmon Gai'don approached, she had never turned on him. From being nearly betrothed to one another to being distant allies, they had never crossed a line in their interactions, no matter what Lews Therin had to say on the subject of her.

"To my knowledge there is no difference. Remember that I only have five years of experience with it."

Egwene arched an eyebrow coolly at that statement. "I seem to recall that in less than two years of you channeling you had dispatched of Ishamael."

"Yet I was an adult when I began to learn to channel _saidin_," Harry explained in a dry tone. "I was a child when I started with magic, kept ignorant by nearly every adult, which in retrospect was nearly certainly on purpose."

"Is this because of the Dreadlord Voldemort?" Egwene inquired. "You would presume that they would train you and give you the best information available if you were bound to fight him by prophecy."

"I do recall your good friend Elaida and the Red Ajah trying a similar strategy with me," Harry said with a bitter tongue. "I suppose calling Voldemort a Dreadlord is a good analogy. I haven't seen enough of him fighting all out to truly measure his abilities, but I doubt he could stand up to the weakest of the Forsaken."

"Following that analogy, could you classify the Death Eaters as Shadowspawn? I am unsure if I am still bound to the Oath Rod, since it conceivably doesn't exist in this age or plane."

A grin flashed briefly across Harry's face as he pondered Egwene's question. "There should soon be the perfect opportunity. There is a man, Severus Snape, who bears the Dark Mark. He has long greasy black hair and an ugly face. For some reason Dumbledore believes that he serves us, but his actions say otherwise. If we encounter him here, do to him what you will. No one will mourn his passing."

Egwene's face betrayed no emotion at Harry's virtual order to execute beyond a short nod to acknowledge his statement. "So if magic users do not use _saidar or saidin_, how should I fight one?"

Harry's eyebrow twitched in amusement. "Simple. Either take away their wand or snap it. Witches and wizards are completely dependent upon them to use magic. Roughly only one in ten thousand magic users will be able to wield wandless magic to any degree of competency."

"That is…simple. It will be enlightening to see a magic user in combat against one of us."

He wondered if he should pop over to the Dursleys to pick up his wand. He was still an amateur wizard. The Battle of the Ministry demonstrated that his knowledge of tactics and spells to be used in magical combat paled in comparison to the Death Eaters. On the other hand, he was arguably the strongest channeler of _saidin_ in existence. He had stood toe to toe against Ishamael and Shaidar Haran. He lead the efforts to cleanse _saidin_ of its taint, that counterstroke of the Dark One at the end of the Age of Legends, that lead to the Breaking and condemned all male channelers to insanity and death for nearly three thousand years.

"Magic is a power. It is a very effective power, especially in its ability to transfigure and charm objects and people. We channel from the True Source though, which turns the Wheel. "

Egwene managed to convey her disapproval with a mere raising of an eyebrow. "Let us only hope that your overconfidence does not lead you to biting off more than you can chew. Could you arrange a test of magic against our channeling?"

Harry paused at this question to lean further into the couch he was resting on. It made sense, but he was hesitant to try it for himself. So far Lews Therin was strangely silent in his head and had not made an attempt yet to seize control of _saidin_ from him. Yet one thing he had learned from having him a resident in his head for over five years was that he did not take kindly to new experiences. There would be a very high chance that he would become enraged at being exposed to magic and try to lash out with lethal intent. If he was going to test it, he did not want to see an ally dead at his hands.

After several moments of considering the pros and cons of testing him and Egwene against a member of the Order, he decided. "Yes, it should be possible to arrange a test. If we wait here long enough sooner or later a member of the Order should show up that we can work with."

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence and he began to play with one of his sleeves of his too large clothing using his left hand. Light it felt good to have two hands again. He suddenly realized that none of his robes or muggle clothes would fit him with his 'growth spurt.' "I need to find the Tonks as soon as possible. They should have the keys to my vaults to authorize withdrawals, so we can purchase clothing and supplies here. Hopefully I can withdraw enough to make you financially independent." He saw Egwene open her mouth to protest. "Peace. I know that if the situation was reversed you would do the same for me, so I will not hear your protests.

A small smile graced Egwene's lips. "You make a mule look as soft in the head as a toddler Rand al'Thor." Her eyes flickered to the lit fireplace as her face broke into a contemplative expression. "Something tells me that no matter how much I try to separate from you, the Pattern will simply bind us together tighter. I think I shall simply relax and enjoy following in your wake for now."

Before he could reply a series of sharp cracks were heard downstairs. The two of them both became alert and quickly stood up. Harry slowly crept forward in order to prevent the hardwood floor from creaking towards the door where he heard soft voices beyond it. Suddenly there was a shriek and a veritable stampede began to run upstairs towards the library. Making eye contact with Egwene who casually waved her hand to indicate that he should go out, he headed towards the doorway. Stepping out he saw a gangly head of red hair crest the stairs.

"Hello Ron," Harry said in a flat tone.

"Hey…waitasec mate! Who are you?" Ron demanded as he slid to a stop in front of Harry. As he spoke Harry saw Ginny followed by Hermione stomp up the stairs. Figured that Hermione would run to a library. Both paused upon seeing Harry, unsure of how to act around this strange man.

"I'm Harry."

"Harry!?" Ginny shrieked.

Ron just stood dumbfounded gaping as footsteps could be heard charging up the stairs. He glanced at Ginny and Hermione, to see the former leering at him while the latter looked as if she had just been handed a puzzle. He had time to see a flash of pink before he felt a body impact him.

"You're alive! Oh thank Merlin you're alive!" Tonks cried as she squeezed him as tightly as she could. "I thought I had killed you…and…you're taller?" she said as she craned her head up to view at Harry.

"Harry what happened? Why do you look older and where is your scar? And why did Tonks think that she killed you?" Hermione questioned.

"Yeah, why didn't you show up last week?" Ron chimed in.

So only a week had passed while he lived an entirely new life. He nodded to Andromeda and Ted as they walked up into the hallway.

"Hello Harry. I have no clue what happened, since I haven't seen you or my daughter since the reading, but it looks like you took some pretty dramatic steps to get rid of me as your guardian," Andromeda said with a smile.

"It wasn't planned," Harry said dryly. "It's good to see you. I was trying to figure out how to contact you."

"Harry! What happened?" Hermione repeated.

These were his friends. They had been there for him in the past. But…they couldn't understand what he had gone through nor did he have the patience to describe it right now. "Not now, if ever. It's been a very long…week was it?"

He felt Tonks nod her head against his chest. Looking around he could see his answer wasn't a popular one. Ron and Ginny looked mulish. He could see the irritation on Hermione's face, but concern for him dominated. The Tonks simply looked confused, until Andromeda looked past him.

"Harry, who is this young woman you have squirreled away in the library with you?"

The group reacted as one. Everyone in the hall turned their attention to Egwene who stood there observing them. Tonks began to put a noticeable amount of pressure on his back as she used it as leverage to look above his shoulders.

"This is Mistress al'Vere," Harry introduced. "Mistress al'Vere, this is Tonks on me, the red headed male is Ron Weasley, the red headed female is Ginny Weasley and the brunette is Hermione Granger. The woman is Andromeda Tonks and that is her husband Ted Tonks."

"A pleasure to meet you," Egwene intoned.

Tonks lowered herself back down, snickering. "So that's your girl, huh?" She released her hold on Harry and stepped back, facing Egwene to address her directly. "Sorry for getting possessive with your boyfriend, I just thought I had killed him."

A small smile graced Egwene's face. "No need to concern yourself. It's been years since Ra…Harry and I have been together."

Harry snorted. "At least you're better than my other ex-girlfriend."

The smile vanished. "I know of no other woman you dated before me. Who are you speaking of?"

"At the time she called herself Mierin," Harry explained. All he saw were blank looks. "You knew her as Selene…or Lanfear."

Egwene pursed her lips as if she had just sucked a lemon. "I am so glad that I rank better than one of the Forsaken," she drawled out in a warning tone.

He heard Hermione repeat "Lanfear" and "Forsaken" under her breath as if it could be a clue. "What brings you to number twelve tonight?"

"Emergency Order meeting to rescue you," Tonks said. "Well, I suppose that part is done and yay for me for no longer being imprisoned in the Department of Mysteries, but I'm guessing Albus is going to want to interrogate you. Let me tell you, it is no fun at all to be on his bad side."

Harry stared at Tonks's sheepish expression on her face. Her parents were now looking at her confused. Apparently they were unaware of Tonks's confinement.

"Come on down! The meeting is going to start soon!" Mrs. Weasley called from downstairs.

"Shall we? Harry, is it safe to bring Mistress al'Vere?" Ted asked as he started to follow Andromeda down the stairs.

"She has my full confidence," Harry declared as he walked up to Tonks, brushing past Ginny who was still staring at him silently. "How are you holding up?" he asked Tonks.

"Me? I've been fine, just worried round the bend over your cuter and older arse. What about you? It looks as if you've aged a decade."

"I'll live." He turned around to see Egwene following him, with Hermione trying to pry information from her. So far all that she had gotten was that Egwene was a "collector of stories" and that she was here because "interesting things happen around Harry." Ron and Ginny trailed the rest of the group.

"That's good to hear. Reading your body language, I'm guessing you don't want to talk about what happened. So uh… I won't bug you now, but if you do need to confide, I'll be here," Tonks offered. They reached the bottom floor and headed towards the dining room. He remembered when he used to try so hard to hear the meetings. He assumed that Ginny, Hermione and Ron were members now since they followed everyone in unimpeded. Tonks brought her fingers to her mouth and issued a sharp whistle as they entered the dining room. "Oi you louts! Everyone, meet Harry Potter, Harry Potter, meet everyone. As you can see, Harry's had a bit of a rough week, so no questions. Anyone take issue with that and I'm in the mood to kick your arse to Dover and back."

He nodded his head as he made eye contact with the assembled group. Mad-Eye was in a corner, staring furiously at Harry and Egwene. Most of the adults he didn't know so he ignored them. Mrs. Weasley was visibly restrained by her husband looking as if she wanted to smother Harry. He nodded at Fred and George who were talking with Bill. He was slightly surprised to see Fleur there - he had not heard a peep about her since the Tri-Wizard Competition. A loud crack reverberated throughout the room as Dumbledore apparated in.

_What is this man? What is this power I feel radiating off of him? It is not the source! Abomination!_ snarled Lews Therin.

Dumbledore spoke briefly with Mad-Eye before staring sharply at Harry. "My word Harry, is that you? I assumed that you were your own progeny after I witnessed your dramatic exit from the Ministry this morning," Dumbledore said while stroking his beard. "I can see that I jumped to the wrong conclusion. And who is this lovely companion with you tonight?"

Egwene arched an eyebrow as she stared coolly at the Order. "You may addresses me as Mistress al'Vere. I am simply a collector of old stories." Harry stared at Dumbledore directly in the eyes. He was thankful that he and Egwene were so skilled at dreamwalking. He assumed that the barriers used to protect their dreams would operate the same as Occlumency.

"Harry, it is wondrous to see you. I can tell that Severus's lessons have paid off, I am glad that my faith in him was not misplaced," Dumbledore exclaimed. "We cannot wait to hear what you have experienced since I saw you a week ago."

_Why do we tolerate the presence of the abomination?_ raged Lews Therin.

"You will have to wait longer," Harry said flatly. "I did not come tonight to play a gleeman."

"Albus, lay off of Harry. Whatever happened to him must have been traumatic," Andromeda insisted, cutting off Mrs. Weasley before she could speak.

Dumbledore twitched his eyebrow before taking his seat. Conversation stopped as everyone settled in for the meeting. "Fear not Harry, we can talk at a later date. Shall we begin? Good…good. Now I originally called you all here tonight in regards to the missing Mr. Potter, but that as we can all see has delightfully resolved itself. Shall we simply deliver our reports two days early? That way we can skip another meeting."

The meeting was incredibly painful. The only thing it demonstrated was that Dumbledore had no clue how to run a military campaign. People simply reported gossip. It was a painful forty minutes of members reporting how so and so looked suspicious. Light, the Women's Circle of Emond's Field before Winternight would be more efficient at running an opposition to Voldemort. A glance at Egwene revealed a perfectly formed face betraying no expression. Good, she was unimpressed as well.

At long last Dumbledore finally wrapped things up. "Before we adjourn, who would like to escort Harry back to the Dursleys?"

Harry's temper finally snapped. "You dare to tell me what to do?" Harry said in a dangerous voice. "What I do and where I go is no business of yours." He could see Mrs. Weasley look appalled at the tone he spoke with, while the majority of Order members looked on with interest.

"Harry, my boy, the blood protections are…"

"Irrelevant. I am not in the mood to bandy about words. Cease your attempts to speak with me or I will not be held accountable for my actions."

"Mr. Potter, are you suffering from delusions of grandeur again?" drawled the voice of Severus Snape as he entered the room opposite of Harry.

"Severus, now lets not make this situation worse. We're all friends…" Dumbledore stopped as he saw Severus's arms reaching towards the ceiling. The sleeves of his robes were ripped off leaving his arms bare, exposing the dark mark.

"Is this the dark mark you spoke of?" Egwene asked in a bored tone. Goosebumps covered his skin as he felt her fully embrace _saidar_.

"Yes, but I'm afraid he's an ally," Dumbledore interjected, staring quizzically at Harry and Egwene.

Everyone stared as a hole the size of a galleon punched itself through Snape's neck, dropping him like a sack of wool. Fleshy pulp stained the wall behind him as Harry stared at the corpse, which was leaking blood out from the neck.

"Oh good, he's either a darkfriend or I am no longer bound by the Oath Rod," Egwene mused. "Is the defense of this realm led by Tinkers?" Egwene asked as she saw the open shock amongst the Order.

"I..I..," Dumbledore stuttered, incapable of comprehending that Egwene killed him without any apparent magic or technology.

"That was a tad hasty," Harry stated in a dry tone, before Dumbledore could collect his thoughts. "We can no longer just leave the corpse for the carrion to feast on."

"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall gasped. "Did you just…"

"The bastard had eet coming," Fleur muttered to agreeing grunts from the Weasley children.

"Andromeda, can you call upon Kreacher?" Harry asked politely.

"Oh dear, no, Ted killed him for selling out Sirius to my sisters. If you need a house elf, let me call Tiper." A house elf promptly appeared next to her.

"Tiper, would you be so kind to find the nearest industrial incinerator and depose of that corpse there?"

"Tiper considers it done!" the house elf exclaimed before disappearing along with Snape's corpse.

"I am hereby severing all ties to the Order of the Phoenix," Harry pronounced to looks of dismay from the people around him. "Over the past forty minutes you have demonstrated that you can gossip in a tavern, but not much more. This is a war. I will fight _all_ who bear the dark mark or are allied with them until they are dead or have lost the will to fight permanently. In the coming days I may contact some of you to seek your assistance. Remember this. According to the prophecy Dumbledore sat on his ass for the past sixteen years, I am the only one capable of killing Voldemort." Silence reined amongst the room as Dumbledore looked at Harry mournfully. "No need for your pity headmaster. I am more than prepared to pay the butcher's bill. Egwene, are you prepared to retire for the night?" She nodded her head and then strolled out of the room. He began to follow her, before turning around. "I recommend you avoid the room that me and Ron used last summer. It will be warded so that any who attempt to enter will perish." With that final proclamation he strode out of the room, catching up to Egwene and leading her to where they had started their day.

Upon entering the room, he seized _saidin_ and wove the same wards he had previously, adding the wards he used to kill anyone who emerged from The Ways. Thankfully Lews Therin remained passive while he used _saidin_.

"That was very interesting," Egwene noted. "I almost wish I was Brown Ajah."

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked as he began to strip off his shirt.

"Just a couple of observations I made tonight," Egwene said as she slightly shrugged. "It will take a few more days to confirm them, so I'll hold on to them for now."

Harry grunted as he removed his breeches. With an idle thought he wove fire to transfer the flame from the lamp on his side of the room to the lamp on Egwene's side. With a muttered goodnight he rested upon the bed.

Sleep did not come soon. He lay in bed, mentally reciting the name of every woman who died for him. He debated at the end, but chose not to list Aviendha, Elayne or Min. He could only believe that they survived.


	3. Tea Parties

A/N: This chapter went on far longer than I anticipated. Still - here it is and I hope you continue to enjoy it. I want to thank all of you who have reviewed it. For those of you who have expressed concerns that Harry/Rand is overpowered - be patient. Harry's enemies are currently unaware of his new abilities and may be caught with their pants down initially, but the path will get much harder thereafter.

Big thanks to the people at DLP for giving this chapter a read-through and helping me refine this into a better work.

Enjoy the Story!

* * *

"If I wanted to take a tour of London, how would I go about doing it?" Egwene asked as she set her steaming cup of tea down onto the kitchen table.

"Head over to my place around eleven and I'm sure Andi will be thrilled to take you. She got such a kick out of doing muggle tours after we got married. Just err…do your shiny doorway thing into that spare room I showed you yesterday. I don't want you to accidentally lop off Andi's head," Ted Tonks said without looking up from the financial section of _The Times_.

Egwene nodded her assent before turning her attention back to the Oxford English Dictionary in front of her.

Harry was thankful that Egwene wasn't dependent upon him to learn modern English. He already found it difficult enough to speak as a modern Englishman as his brain kept interjecting vocabulary and allegories from a different age. Lews Therin just compounded the problem with his sporadic use of the Old Tongue.

Ted had been invaluable in helping Harry and Egwene adapt to twentieth century England in the past few days. He had arrived the morning after the Order meeting with galleons and pounds from Harry's Trust Vault to help them purchase necessities. Harry had insisted on shopping in muggle London first; after wearing pants and shirts for everything from combat to diplomacy he had no urge to return to drafty cumbersome robes. Upon her first visit to a boutique however, Egwene had forsworn muggle styles as being "more scandalous than that horrid Domani style." She had been satisfied to find a tailor on Diagon Alley that produced her several cloaks and simple woolen dresses that could be worn in both muggle and magical worlds.

Most of all, it was Ted's status as a muggle-born that aided the pair. When asked if he knew of a source of impartial information about the muggle world Ted had simply gone out and purchased the most recent editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica and the Oxford English Dictionary. Egwene had taken to them with a vengeance, they both distracted her from her thoughts and helped her adapt to living here as quick as possible.

Working on his sword-forms had occupied Harry's free time. It had been years since he had two hands to practice with his sword. He had found a collection of blades downstairs. While none matched the quality of the heron-marked blade of his father, they did allow him to practice his forms. Losing himself into the void helped him to take his mind off the loss of his beloveds.

"Oh blast, it's work time for me," Ted muttered as he stood up to put his dishes away. "Andromeda should be somewhere around our place if you two need anything today. No sign of Tonks though, although that's par for course with her Auror work." He shook his head slowly. "I can't believe she was detained for a week and we never heard of it. I swear her profession is going to drive me bald. Well, I'm off," he said with a smile and a wave.

An absent wave back from Harry acknowledged Ted before a sharp crack signaled his departure. Harry frowned as he flipped the page of _The Daily Prophet_ to only find a description of a Death Eater attack buried on the 18th page. Mass media was a double-edged sword in his opinion. It did serve to disseminate information rapidly, but it spoke with such authority that it discouraged debate about the factuality of the news. Peddlers and gleemen told tall tales, but there tended to be a nugget of truth buried in the stories that would come out as villagers debated the veracity of the stories. Since _The Daily Prophet_ devalued the news of the Death Eater attacks the readers naturally thought that they were inconsequential.

"Why do you look as if you just shaved playing Maiden's Kiss?" Egwene asked as she closed the dictionary after marking where she had left off at.

Harry snorted. He briefly imagined Ron trying to play Maiden's Kiss and could only conclude that the Weasleys would end up one son short. "It feels odd trying to plan a war without the _Far Dareis Mai _breathing down my neck. I'm actually unsure on how to wage a campaign at all without an army."

Egwene shook her head and gave him a look as if he was a small child. "You do realize that as the Dragon Reborn you had several prophecies that declared you would lead the world of men to battle against the Dark One? I am not belittling your accomplishments Rand al'Thor, stop looking at me like that. Light, I know better than most how much you struggled to achieve what you did. All that I am saying, hear me out, is that you best apply those lessons Moiraine gave you on the Great Game and get some allies."

"What allies? Elements of the Ministry want me dead or locked away in a cell and the Order is more likely to treat me like a leper after the way I dispatched Snape," Harry griped as he grabbed his plate and took it to the sink.

"Your new tendency to whine like a child who was just swotted for stealing a pie is very unbecoming woolhead. Stop! If I see you even look as if you're going to stew again I will channel Nynaeve and box your ears in. Now tell me, why did Moiraine initially take an interest in you, Mat and Perrin in Emond's Field?"

"Simple, we were all _ta'veren_."

"Precisely," Egwene said in a lecturing tone. "Now as it was drilled into me while a novice at the White Tower, a _ta'veren_ is 'a person around whom the Wheel of Time weaves all surrounding life-threads, perhaps all life-threads, to form a Web of Destiny.' I cannot believe that you forgot how influential you are because you're _ta'veren_."

Pondering her words, Rand poured a cup of tea from the kettle that was resting upon the stove. He was grateful that Tiper apparently considered Harry part of the Tonks family and served at his beck and call. "I have taken the fact that I'm _ta'veren_ granted for so long that I actually forgot its effects. This is why nobody truly reacted to you killing Snape, isn't it?"

A small smile graced Egwene's face. "As far as they know you're the one who killed Snape. No women there at least had the spark, so they wouldn't know any better."

"Good point. I'll be in the study most of today then drawing up plans to get my own armed force to deal with the Death Eaters."

"You may enlist me, but I will swear no oaths to you," Egwene offered. "It's a pity that I have no idea on how to create _angreal _or _sa'angreal_. The lack of those will severely limit my effectiveness in battle."

Harry stopped at that comment. She raised a valid point. Without an _angreal_ to buffer his channeling he would likely burn himself out in the heat of battle if he followed his modus operandi. A _sa'angreal_ would make removing Voldemort a breeze, but the little he knew of crafting them indicated that it would take a large team of both men and women linked together to forge one. In a best-case scenario it would take roughly a decade to train enough channelers of both genders to reach the point where they could craft a _sa'angreal_. Too bad only channelers from the Age of Legends knew how to create them. Wait a tick.

"I may know of a source to teach me about the creation of _angreal_."

Egwene cocked her head, a perplexed expression on her face. "How? All knowledge of how to craft them was lost thousands of years ago. Only channelers from prior to the Breaking…oh Light! You're still hearing Lews Therin, aren't you?"

Harry shrugged, "I'm still saddled with him."

"Light! How could you have not mentioned this? How could you channel? I know how you had to fight with him for control!" Egwene vexed with a raised voice.

"He has been relatively quiet since Tarmon Gai'don," Harry said before he scowled. "How did you know about my issues with Lews Therin? I don't recall ever telling you."

Egwene drew a breathe as if to calm herself down, before taking another sip of tea. "If you recall I did have Nynaeve attend the final set of interrogations of Semirhage before she was executed. Nynaeve was not gentle and extracted much information, such as your condition. I ordered her to tell me as was my right as the Amyrlin."

With a slight nod to acknowledge the statement, Harry pondered the revelation. He thought that his condition was relatively private. He truly should have anticipated that Semirhage would have leaked information. Well, it was no longer his concern. Egwene was the only other person left who could appreciate that information and he doubted she would tell.

"I will not take foolish risks, but if I can rediscover how to create _angreal_ that at least channel _saidin_, it will be a huge boon," Rand stated. A grin cracked his face, "Besides, you aren't the only one with problems keeping information. Elayne told me how you were able to recreate Traveling with _saidar_ off of a random comment from Moghedian. With your strength in all five flows, it is possible for you to create your own _angreal_ that will channel _saidar_ if I discover their creation using _saidin_."

A smile returned to her face, "I think you overestimate my abilities, but I am flattered none the less. This returns me to my original point about _ta'veren_ before our conversation was diverted. I believe that Dumbledore himself is a _ta'veren_, although I would wager that his strength pales before yours. How else could he convince so many people to pursue such a foolish course of action in regards to Voldemort. Anyone with a wit of tactics would have challenged Dumbledore's insistence at fighting a war using non-lethal force. Even though you are a woolhead, you are at least not foolish enough to ignore advice from those with more experience than you."

That made sense. Before he had gone with Tonks to the reading of Sirius's will, Harry had wondered why everyone blindly followed the Headmaster. Now there was a plausible explanation for the sheeple effect he saw amongst the wizards.

"Good point, I wouldn't have thought of that. It's too bad neither of us can see the aura of a _ta'veren_."

He took a sip of his tea while Egwene mimicked him. "Who do you plan to recruit into our effort?" Egwene inquired.

"For now, just members of the Order who I trust," Harry said in a contemplative tone. "I will wait to see the Ministry's reaction to my new status before I decide to expand recruitment."

"Do you think the Ministry will prove to be an obstacle?"

With a gulp he finished his tea and stood up. He placed his cup in the sink before heading out towards his room for exercise. At the door he turned around to face Egwene, who was patiently waiting for a reply.

"I'd rather deal with Whitecloaks."

* * *

Albus Dumbledore blew a bubble out of his mouth as he stared at the parchment in front of him. It contained yet another withdrawal from Hogwarts. It was already the seventh one this summer, which was just over halfway through. He gazed wistfully at Fawkes's perch, but the phoenix was elsewhere. He envied his longtime companion, having the freedom to come and go at a whim.

He was convinced that this was his worst year since he had to fight Grindelwald. The only positive spin that he could imagine was that only a few close friends of his had died so far, in contrast to the late 70's where it seemed that he attended more funerals than faculty meetings. Otherwise though, the year had been a complete disaster. Cornelius had nearly alienated the entire Hogwarts student body from the government. He feared that due to the ludicrous actions taken by Dolores at Hogwarts and the exposure that Cornelius squelched the news of Voldemort's return would make skeptics of even the most faithful Hufflepuff. It was dire that during the time the Ministry needed the most support it had lost the faith of nearly an entire generation.

Worst though was the schism between him and Harry Potter and the impact it was having on the Order. He knew that it was going to be difficult to repair his relationship with Harry after the events of the Ministry Battle. He simply did not have the time to cultivate and train Harry properly. Between his obligations to Hogwarts and fighting to retain his influence at the Wizengamot he had neglected Harry and it appeared that it was going to come back to bite him.

Harry falling through the doorway was a very unexpected and unwelcome development. The foolishness that young Nymphadora demonstrated almost made him think that she was trying to aid her Aunts. Additionally it took away the time he had set aside to go poking around Little Hangleton. It was clear that Harry had experienced several years in that Doorway and could now harness unknown forces. Perhaps that was the "power he knows not."

The loss of Harry's scar completely baffled him. If his suspicions that it was a Horcrux were true, than hopefully the loss of the scar symbolized the destruction of the Horcrux. A little voice in his head feared that Harry's utter rage aimed at him during the last Order meeting might symbolize that the Horcrux did not go quietly into the night.

Thinking of the Order simply compounded his headache. He could not believe the passiveness his comrades had demonstrated upon the brutal murder of Severus. Unsure of who dealt the killing blow and how they accomplished it, Dumbledore decided that it was best to simply allow for the disposal of the body and evidence without raising too much of a fuss. Guilt crept into his thoughts as he wondered if he had truly mishandled the situation with Severus. Not a single member of the Order had mourned Severus's passing. He knew that Severus had the tendency to be anti-social and confrontational, but did his death truly merit a miniature celebration? With the loss of his spy they would have to resort to the traditional means to detect Death Eater attacks used prior to Severus becoming a double agent. The timing of all this was possibly the worst it could be.

The Gargoyle at the base of the steps to his office creaked as it moved to admit someone. Ah yes, Minerva was here for her meeting.

"Good morning Minerva," Dumbledore greeted just before her head came into view, eliciting a small scowl from her.

"Albus," Minerva said as she took a seat to the side of his desk. "Shall we cut straight to business? The timing of your trip is simply…horrendous."

"I am aware of that. It is most unfortunate that I am forced to fulfill my obligations to the ICW at this time. A month ago I anticipated I would have the entirety of the summer to deal with matters at home. Then I was reappointed to all of my former positions. Alas, Cornelius does tend to do more harm than good no matter his intentions. Care for some tea?"

Minerva nodded her head slightly and a house elf popped into the room with a tea set. He poured a cup for her that she received with a look of satisfaction as she took her first sip. He waited patiently for her to start up again. "It would have been for the best if you still were stripped of your Chairmanship. Now you're going to be off wasting away time in Shanghai until the end of August."

"Unfortunately, bureaucracy cares not for the demands of current events. Granted, it would have been much more convenient if the convention was being held in Brussels as it was four years ago, but that ship has sailed and Asia has the right to host it now. Remember Minerva, there is always a silver lining. I will have over a month to solicit support from our allies for our struggle."

A sniff of disbelief was the only response he received.

"Do you have something you want to say Minerva?"

"Yes Albus. You have yet to tell me who is going to teach Defense or Potions. What do I do about Mr. Potter? He is far too old to be a student, but he still only has the knowledge of a fifth year. And something tells me that if we let him loose here we would lose all of the Slytherins to Severus's fate."

"I am still not convinced that was Harry," Albus countered. "It very could have well been that Mistress al'Vere."

"Who exactly is that young woman?"

Albus clasped his hands together to rest upon his desktop. "I'm afraid I have no clue. I have been unable to find anything about anyone named 'al'Vere' no matter the spelling. I suspect that she originated from wherever Harry has been. I can only speculate as to what their relationship is to one another."

Minerva took a sip of her tea. "I suppose we will simply have to wait to ask. You'll be glad to hear that I had Andromeda over for tea yesterday. From what she said, Harry and that woman haven't left Grimmauld Place except to purchase necessities. They are currently 'grieving' according to her, although she did not tell me why."

"Interesting. I wonder what he grieves for? At his age, he could have left behind a lover or a child. That could explain his overreaction to Severus."

With a snort Minerva held up her hand. "No Albus, I'm afraid there were other factors at play. Molly stopped by while I was talking with Andromeda and joined in. Apparently Ms. Granger let loose some information while she was at the Burrow and fretting about Harry. Apparently Harry's 'remedial potion classes' were regarding him being trained in occlumency. After each lesson he would suffer from debilitating headaches. Ms. Granger said that he once confessed while on the verge of being unconscious that Severus had been deliberately going after his worst memories and forcing Harry to relive them. I do have training in occlumency Albus and I most certainly do not recall being taught in that manner."

A sigh escaped from him before he could stop it. So Severus truly wasn't teaching Harry. It sounded as if he was simply destroying any barrier that existed in Harry's mind. How deep did Severus's treachery run? Perhaps it was for the best that Severus had been removed from the Order, but Harry did not have to resort to killing in order to accomplish that feat. It would be horrible for him to lose sight in the value that each individual life held.

"You should host more tea parties Minerva," Albus murmured. "You seem to have uncovered most unpleasant and vital news."

Minerva smiled dryly, "Yes. Well, I'll try to invite Mr. Potter to my next party. It would be good if we were able to ascertain his intentions for the next year. That still leaves the issue of who will be filling the positions of defense and potions."

A grin tugged at his face. "I actually got back last night from talking to an old colleague. You should be glad to hear that Horace will be returning to his old position as both Potion Instructor and head of house for Slytherin. If the Minister does do what I fear, a viable Defense Instructor should make themselves available."

"Could you be anymore cryptic Albus?" Minerva said as she shook her head and took another sip of tea. "Well, at least Horace should be a step up from Severus. What idiotic move by our Minister do we have to concern ourselves with now?"

"It is all speculation that I'm hearing. But I'm afraid that Cornelius has a full copy of the Unspeakable's report concerning the events of the past two weeks on his desk now. I have been avoiding him but I'm afraid he will be able to corner me in Shanghai when he gives his speech next week. I can only imagine what will happen when he learns about Harry's new adult status."

Minerva rolled her eyes, "I dread what response that fool will have. I also dread what Mr. Potter will do. If he continues to demonstrate such a wanton use of lethal force …"

"As do I. Now, shall we discuss the issue of enrollment before I must leave for Shanghai?"

He relaxed as Minerva began to rant about the withdrawals from the school. Perhaps it would be for the best if he were away from Harry for a month. Harry had always gone to Minerva first with problems in the school, so hopefully that trend would continue with this newest development. He could only pray that Voldemort would remain quiet while he fulfilled one of his many duties.

* * *

Three days later Harry stood in the void, reveling in the torrent of _saidin_. Holding a sword of flame he flowed from Parting the Silk into Wood Grouse Dances to Tower in the Morning. Each transition was seamless as he moved about the spare room. Its original purpose unknown, he had discovered it last summer while on Mrs. Weasley's enforced cleaning of Grimmauld Place. It was spacious, slightly larger than the dining room and once the furniture was removed the room was perfect for him to practice his forms in.

Here it was nothing but flame and void. The flame and void of his mind were replicated by the vast emptiness of the room and the flame sword he wielded. Nothing else existed. He scowled as he overreached his right foot as he went into Water Flows Downhill. This new height for his body was still tripping him up. His muscle memory recalled him having several inches of height that he had no longer. Losing his scowl, he stood back into a ready position before sliding into Folding the Fan. Time had no meaning as he continued to condition his new body.

The roar of a _lopar _brought a halt to his workout. Someone was approaching and had triggered his wards that created the roar. He released _saidin_ and walked towards the corner where a towel lay bunched up out of the way. Grabbing hold of it, he picked it up to start to wipe down his sweat when a sharp catcall grabbed his attention.

Tonks stood leaning against the doorway, with a shit-eating grin on her face. "If I knew you were putting on a show I wouldn't have bothered going into work this week."

Harry rested the towel over his shoulders as he involuntarily glanced down at himself. He didn't see what the big deal was. Sure, he was shirtless and covered in sweat. Oh yeah, Tonks didn't share the same lack of modesty the Aiel did. Glancing up at her he wasn't surprised to see her wearing a garish muggle outfit. Her jeans, while ripped were at least ordinary denim blue. For every other item though it was if she chose them based upon how strongly they clashed. Her electric blue hair fit in perfectly with the neon plaid tank top she wore.

"Afternoon Tonks. Been busy at work?" Odd, her mood visibly dropped upon work being brought up.

"Busy getting fired. Apparently exposing you to foreign magics is a no-no for Aurors. That combined with my 'mysterious' appearance at the Ministry in June led to my boss ruling that I was no longer a 'loyal employee who served at the will of the Minister.' Blimey, that Scrimgeour is nothing more than a scheming brown-nosing son of a bitch!" Tonks raved, her arms gesturing wildly to accentuate her words.

Harry continued to dab sweat off of himself to buy time. How was he supposed to react to this? He knew how to comfort someone for the loss of a loved one or a regime change - implemented by himself more often than not - yet he did not know how to provide comfort for something as inconsequential as losing a job. He knew Tonks took pride in being an Auror. The only reason that he cared was…she was the only adult he knew that treated him like an adult and went out of her way to make his life easier. She wasn't afraid to defy authority and bend the rules to accommodate him. "I'm sorry to hear about your job. Anything I do?"

A leer on Tonks sent a shiver down his spine. "Well, I'd love to see what you're doing down here. Mum and dad have been saying you spend almost all your time here and yet they're clueless as to just what you're up to. I think right now nothing will make me feel better than seeing you work up a sweat."

Light! He would never understand women. He had planned on two more hours of practice though. He nodded at her and embraced _saidin_ again. He heard a gasp as he channeled and formed a sword of fire in his right hand before he stood at ready position. Before he started he glanced at Tonks. Her mouth was agape, staring at his hands that seemingly wielded live flame. He turned back and once more the world became void and flame as he slid into Lion on the Hill. Time once more lost meaning.

A roar once more signaled that his wards had been triggered. He released _saidin_ and looked towards the door. To its left Tonks was sitting on the ground with her knees scrunched up to her chest, with a silly grin on her face.

"That was so worth being fired for," Tonks drawled out. "I do want to know the story behind those rockin dragons tattooed to your arms. I've never seen anything like them."

Harry just smirked as he caught the towel Tonks lobbed at him and began to wipe the sweat away from his eyes.

"Yes Mr. Potter, do tell me why you felt as if you had to mutilate your body."

He blinked. Professor McGonagall was not one of the people he expected to visit today. She stood primly at the door in her standard robes, her nose scrunched at the smell of perspiration that filled the room. He raised his arms individually, to inspect the dragons and herons imbued upon him. "I had as much say in receiving these as I did on getting the scar on my forehead," Harry said at last.

"I see, I came here Mr. Potter to inquire as to how you are and to see if you planned to return to Hogwarts."

"I'm surprised Professor, I assumed Dumbledore would be coming after me directly."

McGonagall openly scowled, "Please remember to respect the Headmaster Mr. Potter. And for your knowledge he is attending to business for the next six weeks in Shanghai. Now will you be attending Hogwarts in the fall?"

It was surprising the way McGonagall was forcing the issue. He anticipated that the old man would try to force him back to Hogwarts, even though he was a decade older than the average student. "No, I will not be returning," Harry said in a firm tone. "I do not have time to play at being a student. If you feel that it is vital to me to learn wanded magic, I may permit a tutor to be attached to my command."

He saw McGonagall mouth "my command" while Tonks perked up. Her hair flicked to emerald green.

"Oi! Oi! Attach me to your command. Seeing as how I'm lacking in employment and on the verge of becoming a vagrant."

Harry cracked a smile at Tonks's antics until McGonagall interjected, "Oh, Albus did mention that a viable candidate would be available before he left. Ms. Tonks, would you be interested in the Defense Instructor position at Hogwarts?"

Tonks whipped her head over to face McGonagall as she heard the offer. Harry couldn't risk losing his only adult wand user asset that was solely in his camp. "Once me and your dad resolve the issue of my accounts with Gringotts I should be able to pay to hold you as my retainer Tonks," Harry said with what he hoped to be a sincere smile. His amusement increased as he saw her head swivel between him and McGonagall continuously for nearly a minute.

"Wow. I thought I would be spending tonight on a bender wallowing in my sorrows. Thanks for ruining my plans you two," Tonks said in a mock chided tone. "Minerva, I'm honored at the offer. I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline though. I'm young enough that all the males will be paying attention to me instead of the lesson. Harry, we can hammer out the details later. A little knowledge of what happened to you would be nice though, although I can be a good Tonks and be patient I suppose if the price is right."

Harry knew that his smile was sincere now; Tonks was clearly in his corner. Looking at McGonagall, he reached a decision. "I am willing to give the basics of what happened to me to both of you and your parents Tonks. Professor, I will want your word that what I say only gets to Dumbledore, told face to face with only the two of you present. No familiars, no portraits and no recording devices. You will also have to ensure that Dumbledore does not spread this information. If either of you break your word…the results will be most unpleasant."

A harsh scowl filled McGonagall's face before he recalled her earlier admonishing on respecting the Headmaster. "Mr. Potter, who exactly are you to demand such things?"

"Agree to my terms and you'll find out," Harry said in a dry tone as he began to walk towards the kitchen. Seeing Tonks reach out with her right arm he grasped her hand and gave her a lift to get her standing. As they approached the kitchen he heard a cacophony of voices. "McGonagall didn't come alone, did she?"

"No I didn't Mr. Potter," McGonagall said as she walked up from behind. "Molly could not be restrained any longer and demanded that she and the children be given access to you to verify your condition."

This was going to be a headache. Thankfully Egwene was over at the Tonks, otherwise he would already be facing her wrath for stranding her with the Weasleys. Reminding himself to request Advil from Tiper, he strode into the kitchen and faced Molly, Fred, George, Ginny and Ron Weasley along with Hermione. "Hello all." The entire group spun around to greet him, only to have their voices die in their throats. Oh yeah, he was still clad in only pants and a towel hanging around his neck.

Ron acted first, throwing his hands around Ginny's eyes to receive a yelped "no fair!" This brought the rest out of their stupor with Molly scolding him over proper dress and Fred and George taking Hermione's sides to whisper in her ears resulting in an increasing blush.

"I wasn't expecting any visitors, so you'll have to put up with my dress. If you'll excuse me, I need to take a shower," Harry said positioning Tonks in between him and Molly who looked like she wanted to hug him. He was in no mood to be mothered. Lily Potter had died shortly after he had turned one and Kari al'Thor died when he was five. He needed no surrogate. Looking at the group assembled around him, he quickly reached a decision. "Tonks, will you get a hold of your parents and Egwene and have them meet us in the library in twenty minutes? Professor, Fred, George, Hermione, will you meet us there as well?"

"Mate! What about me?"

Harry stared at Ron in the eyes until he flinched and turned away. "I can trust them to keep their mouths shut. I know your temper Ron, you yell out whatever is on your mind when you get angry. Develop discipline and I'll see what I can trust with you later on. Ginny, I don't know you well enough." He looked over to Molly who was putting forth visible effort to curb her tongue. "Mrs. Weasley, you're still loyal to Dumbledore. I'm not against him, but I'm not for him."

Harry brushed past a stewing Molly while giving a friendly pat to Ron's shoulder before heading up to take his shower. He could trust Fred and George. He knew their mother would have blown a gasket if she knew he was the one who funded the shop that was apparently open by now. Hermione could keep secrets from her friends; the time turner had proven it third year. He was confident that he exerted enough authority now that she would not be tempted to run off to McGonagall. The fact that he included McGonagall into his confidence would be a further incentive for Hermione to fall into line.

After his shower he stared at his expanded wardrobe. He would be "officially" starting his own armed force to combat Voldemort and those who would get in his way. He pulled a black t-shirt onto him, sliding black cargo pants on before placing a plain black coat over his shirt that came down to his mid-thighs. No dragons would adorn these sleeves like those of that thrice-sworn Darkfriend Taim. He reached into his desk to withdraw a silver dragon and a sword to pin to his collar before sliding boots on, completing his uniform. While he breathed the _Asha'man_ would exist in one form or another.

With swift strides he marched to the library. Tonks stood outside the double doors with her hair still emerald green, twirling her wand with a smirk on her face.

"No worries my lord, I kept the barbarian hordes away from your sanctuary. The quota of two redheads inside have been maintained and there is harmony in your realm."

Harry rolled his eyes at Tonks while she opened the doors for him in an exaggerated manner. It was annoying how she brought levity to nearly every situation. "Wait Tonks, can you pull Hermione out here quickly?"

He waited for a few moments while Tonks ducked into the library until Hermione walked out. She was wringing her hands, looking nervous. "Hi Harry."

"Hermione," Harry greeted in a mild tone. "How are you?"

"I've been a complete wreck these past two weeks because of you! You disappear, come back, ignore us and then you just totally blew off Ron and Ginny. Why?"

Harry stood there, allowing Hermione to vent. "I am doing what I can. As I said downstairs Ron and Ginny are liabilities for now. You have stuck with me in the past and I need it again. When we go in there I'll explain the basics, alright?"

Hermione nodded her head demurely as her eyes glistened.

"I will be referring to several things that you will never have heard of before when I describe to you what happened. Do not seek clarification. The answers do not exist here and if you were to somehow find them…there is a reason that Tonks and I are the only survivors to through the _ter'angreal_. Most of my story I won't tell until Voldemort is six-feet under and the Ministry is off my back. Can you handle not knowing every detail right now?" Harry asked.

Another set of nodding happened while Hermione wiped her eyes.

"Good. Let's go in and start this," Harry said as he reached over and grabbed Hermione by the small of her back and led her into the library before releasing her.

"Should I have worn my shawl?" Egwene said with a laugh in her voice upon seeing him dressed in the standard outfit of an _Asha'man_.

"That won't be necessary," Harry said looking around the room as he stood in front of the doorway. The hairs on his skin stood up as the door behind sealed itself. Thankfully Egwene was going to handle the warding of the meeting. Tiper had obviously been by to deliver tea.

McGonagall sat in a stiff wooden chair with one hand grasping her cup and the other her saucer waiting patiently. Egwene sat with Andromeda and Ted on a large couch facing the fire, all looking relaxed. Hermione sat down, still wringing her hands and looking uncomfortable. It may have been a mistake to involve her so early, but she was his friend and he didn't want to keep her at arm's length. Tonks was sprawled out on the floor in front of the fire. Fred and George were on the other couch, hunched over a piece of parchment whispering to one another. Noticing Harry's gaze upon them, they ceased talking and looked up at him. "Evening. You are all here tonight because I trust you and your discretion and I know in some form you care about me. I will be disclosing a basic overview of what happened to me once I went through the _ter'angreal_ in the Department of Mysteries. Finally, I hope to recruit some if not all of you in my effort to wage war against the Death Eaters and Voldemort."

By now, everyone's attention was solely upon him. He hated giving speeches. Let Perrin or Bashere give the speech, he simply approved the orders and led the charge.

"At the beginning of last week, I visited the _ter'angreal _that Sirius had fallen through with Tonks. Due to circumstances out of our control we both fell through as well. We encountered an Eelfinn, who informed that my existence as Harry Potter was an unintended consequence of an enemy of a past incarnation of mine. 'I' was needed where I was intended, but due to the fact that I was born here I had to be lured to their territory for them…to somehow jumpstart my next incarnation." He held the rapt attention of everyone, except for Egwene who looked slightly bored and Hermione who looked like she was going to burst with questions.

"I was reborn as Rand al'Thor. I grew up in a village named Emond's Field with Egwene here," Harry started with a wistful tone. "I was a simple shepherd until nearly my twenties…when Trollocs led by a halfman attacked my farm and our village. I learned that I was a target of the Dark One himself and the Forsaken."

"Why?? And what's the Dark One and the Forsaken?" Hermione blurted out.

"The Forsaken were thirteen channelers of incredible power and skill that served the Dark One. The Dark One… can be considered to be the equivalent of Satan." Gasps came from the entire room as Harry saw Egwene visibly frown. "Yes Egwene, I realize the implications of how similar the names are. And I was targeted because…I was a male channeler."

"No Rand, there's no need for you to be modest. You were targeted because you were the Dragon Reborn, arguably the strongest channeler of the One Power in existence. Don't play humble, you were never good at it," Egwene chided. "Do you need me to list your titles?"

"Titles?" George asked his interest piqued.

"Oh Harriekins, we see how it is," Fred said in a mournful tone. "Leave us and become some stuffy noble!"

Egwene snorted. "A noble? You're addressing the Dragon Reborn, He Who Comes with the Dawn, Shadowkiller, Lord of the Morning, Prince of the Dawn and True Defender of the Light. Chief of Chiefs to the Aiel. Chosen One of the Seafolk. King of Illian. Husband to the Queen of Andor. De facto ruler of Arad Doman, Cairhien, Mayene, Murandy and Tear. He commanded the blades and bows of the Borderland nations. Yes, Rand here is a mere stuffy noble."

Silence greeted Egwene's diatribe. All humor had left the twin's faces at this proclamation. Hermione trembled with nervous energy, her mouth opening and closing as if she couldn't decide what to think or ask. McGonagall along with all three Tonks simply stared with their mouths agape, their eyes never leaving Harry.

"Thank you Egwene," Harry said dryly. "To conclude, I killed most of the Forsaken and the prison of the Dark One was resealed. Any questions?"

"Wait! Why did you need to reseal the prison? How did you go from leaving your village to killing all those Forsaken? What does it mean to be a channeler?" Hermione said in a near babble stream of questions.

"Husband!! You're married?" Tonks cried out while inspecting him.

"She was hot, wasn't she?" Fred inquired.

"Rand…or Harry here, was married three times over," Egwene said before sipping her tea to cover up her grin. Once again she had silenced the room.

"Three times over!?" Fred and George cheered after several moments. They promptly high-fived one another as if they themselves had accomplished a great feat.

"Our Harry is truly a man Fred."

"Indeed he is. Went from Miss Soggy to his own harem."

"Puts our deeds to shame. Makes us look like little boys."

"Hah, you mean puts your deed to shame. Alicia told me about your proposal to our dear friends. How did it feel to get rejected thrice-over?"

"Probably the opposite of what Harry here experienced. Wait a second, where are your women Harry?"

Harry had retreated to the flame internally when Egwene brought up his wives, pouring salt in his wounds. Light he missed them! He should throw her loss of Gawyn in her face, seeing how she liked it. Who could possibly understand the feeling of loss that he had experienced? _Ilyena_ Lews Therin echoed in his head in a mournful tone. _Light! Love where are you? Ilyena?_ It wasn't a pleasant feeling to know that the only person who could emphasize with your position was utterly insane. "Gone. Forever beyond my reach."

The sheer lack of emotion in his response killed all exuberance that was present in the Weasley twins. He heard a sob and looked up to see Hermione covering her mouth with her hands while staring at him with tears coming down her face. He didn't dare make eye contact with anyone else.

"I'll take over answering questions now," Egwene said after nearly a minute of silence. "I won't go into what happened between our leaving Edmond's Field until Tarmon Gai'don for that would take months. What I will say is that Rand…I suppose Harry to you folks, commanded the forces of the Light in a war on the scale of your World War II.

"Channelers are an easier question to answer. Both me and Rand here are channelers. Only a fraction of a fraction of humans are able to channel. We are capable of tapping into the One Power, which is drawn from the True Source. The True Source is divided into male and female halves, _saidin_ and _saidar_ respectively. The True Source is…everything. It powers the Wheel of Time, which weaves the threads of sentient life into an Age Lace that forms the reality for our Age. That clear?"

"As mud," Tonks muttered giving worried glances to Harry that he could see while focusing on the fireplace.

"At a later time I may be willing to expand upon my explanation. But for now I don't know any of you well enough to divulge…such arcane knowledge. But this takes us off topic, I believe we were going to next discuss your plans to fight Voldemort."

Harry ceased his introspection to see everyone's attention had returned to him again. It was time to outline his strategy to combat the Death Eater and Voldemort threat. He sorely missed Mat; his ability to fight guerrilla warfare was unparalleled. "I plan to succeed where the Ministry and the Order have failed, successfully destroying the Death Eaters terrorists and Voldemort." He was proud to see no one in the room flinch at the name Voldemort. "For simplicities sake, we will be structured into either active combat units or intelligence assets with me in overall command. On the combat side, I will be in charge directly of all users of _saidin_, Egwene will command the users of _saidar_, while Tonks, if you accept the position will command wand units." He paused when he saw Tonks raise her hand.

"Was Mistress al'Vere exaggerating when she named all those new nicknames you picked up?" Tonks asked in a serious tone.

"I have been called many things. But yes, I have been called all of those at one time or another."

"Wicked! I'll take the job. It's nice to know that you have the experience and credentials to back up the offer. You've seriously made me getting fired the best thing to happen to me yet."

"You got fired princess?" Ted Tonks interrupted starting at his daughter in shock. Andromeda did not look pleased as well.

Tonks casually dismissed her parent's concerns with a wave of her hand from her spot on the floor. "Eh, I was in places I wasn't supposed to be, so Rufus decided I wasn't loyal enough. No worries though. Harry put on a show for me and then decided to hire me for what appears to be a promotion from my old position. All's well that end's well I say."

Andromeda grunted noncommittally while Ted stared at her for a few more moments before smiling at her approvingly. "Way to land on your feet princess! So what have you got for me and Andi Harry?"

"I'll need both of your assistance in financing this operation. You two hold the purse-strings to what money I have."

"You do have some wealth Harry, enough to live comfortably by yourself without working for maybe up to ten years. No matter how stingy those bastard goblins are, they at least let the interest accrue while you were growing up."

"For now earmark up to half of it for operational use. Tonks, what was your salary with the Minister?"

Tonks went to open her mouth but was interrupted by her mother before she could speak. "Nonsense Harry. You're virtually family and still technically our ward. Her salary will at least come from the Black vaults."

Harry shrugged, "Very well. As long as Tonks get paid at least a comparable salary I don't care where the money comes from." He then turned towards Fred and George. "I won't pigeonhole you two into any one role. I can imagine many uses for you. If you are agreeable I would like to contract you on an _ad hoc_ basis." He waited for them to nod in agreement before turning towards Hermione. "I'm not sure what to do with you. I suppose that if we have any questions regarding magic that the resources of Hogwarts can answer I'll send them your way."

"I'll be glad to help Harry." He didn't like the quiver in her voice. It sounded like she was going to have a breakdown in his name. "Do you want me and Ron to continue the DA?"

The DA would be a useful asset. Trained properly he could expect several witches and wizards to supplement his ranks come June, plus Hogwarts would have a built in militia to defend it. He would just have to insure that they were loyal to him and not Dumbledore. "That works. Change the name though to Defense Association. We will no longer be suckling from the tit of Dumbledore." A sharp cough indicated that the comment had not gone unheard by McGonagall. "No need to be concerned Professor, I haven't forgotten you. How would you like to be the liaison between my organization and the Order?"

"That would be satisfactory Mr. Potter. Although I would greatly appreciate it if you could show some respect to the Headmaster."

"When he learns that he makes for a good politician and not a good general he'll start to earn my respect."

"Very well Mr. Potter. I'll convey your concerns. And how am I supposed to refer to your new organization?"

That was a good question. He hadn't even considered that issue, giving more credence to the thought that he really needed to identify some good help fast. Names from several of the military units he commanded jumped out at him. Yet he felt awkward trying to attach one of their names to this new organization he was establishing here. He immediately ruled out naming it after any of the Aiel sects; he would not tarnish them by bestowing their name upon individuals who did not share their ideals. To be honest, the more he thought about it he ruled out the names of units such as the Band of the Red Hand, the Winged Guard, or the Companions. He was simply too attached to their commanders and with the exception of Egwene…the people here were untested compared to the men who formed those units.

He did like the concept of the Band of the Red Hand though, paying homage to the men and women of Manetheren. He recalled Moiraine telling the story and the battle cry of the last king of Manetheren: _Carai an Ellisande_! For the honor of the Rose of the Sun! The rose. Not only did Elayne wear the Rose Crown when she ascended to Queen of Andor, the rose was the national emblem of England. "_Shen an Ellisande_. That will be our name."

Puzzled looks greeted his pronouncement until clarity struck Egwene. "Very nice, you pay homage both to Manetheren and Elayne." Seeing more confused faces around her, she smiled, "_Ellisande_ is Old Tongue for 'Rose of the Sun.' She was the last Queen of Manetheren, who upon feeling the death of her husband King Aemon, she drew too much of the One Power and incinerated herself and her capital city while destroying the invading forces of the Shadow. While Emond's Field was technically part of Andor when we grew up, it had been part of Manetheren when it existed. The rose also symbolizes his wife Elayne. The Rose Crown was worn by the Queens of Andor."

"Merlin! Our group is going to be called the Rose of the Sun?" Fred asked looking a tad queasy at the name.

"No, it translates as 'Band of the Rose of the Sun'. But it will formally be known as _Shen an Ellisande_." Harry looked at the grandfather clock ticking away next to the fireplace. It was after 1900, well past the usual dinnertime he assumed for most the people here. "For now I will not require any oaths to me or the cause. The people who know this though are limited. The only person I expect to learn anything besides you assembled here is Dumbledore. On that note, shall we adjourn for dinner downstairs?"

Agreements were uttered by all present as they began to file out of the room as the wards dropped and the doors opened. Harry noticed to his consternation that Egwene had remained in her spot and closed the doors upon Tonks leaving with Fred and George.

"I apologize for bringing up Aviendha, Elayne and Min Rand. I…thought you were taking time by yourself to cope. Light knows I've spent half my days here bawling my eyes out over Gawyn and everyone else. I've even cried over the fact that I won't have to put up with Mat anymore. You truly have been only going through your sword forms, haven't you?"

Harry coolly arched an eyebrow back at her. That was all that was needed to let her know she was correct.

"Fool of a man. Why must men be so lacking of common sense? Are you going to require me to guide you through the mourning process?"

"I'd prefer a spot of violence."

"Light help me. I'll give you until tomorrow to get your fill of violence. And no, I refuse to 'spar' with you. If you are still retreating into yourself by the midday supper I'm going to hold you to my bosom until you remember how to cry."

He was tempted to leer, but guilt immediately hit him for even entertaining that thought. He reluctantly nodded his head to signal his consent to her plan. Immediately the doors opened themselves.

"I'm glad you can listen to reason. Come now, dinner awaits," Egwene stated as she walked out of the library.

_Cursed Aes Sedai always trying to subdue us. How dare she thinks she can command us!?_

For the first time in a while Harry fully agreed with Lews Therin.

* * *

Harry awoke to the sound of a redwing. Light! Those were only native to the Two Rivers. Somebody had stepped onto the fourth floor that he solely occupied, triggering the wards. He embraced _saidin_ while throwing off the covers. His door flew open as Tonks ran in, only to blush and turn around at seeing him naked.

"Put on some sodding clothes Harry! There's a Death Eater attack in Pickering! Moody is going to be here with a Portkey in two minutes, so get your arse down to the entry hall," Tonks spat out before sprinting back towards the stairs.

Weaving air, the outfit he had worn earlier in the night came towards him, as if being guided by invisible hands. He quickly dressed himself, before heading down the stairs. Thankfully only Egwene was present, clad in a dark cloak that covered the top of her head along with Tonks tapping her wand impatiently, her hair now black to blend in with her robe and the night. The Weasley's along with Hermione and Professor McGonagall had thankfully left after an awkward and quiet dinner while the elder Tonks had returned to their home.

"So how do we know where they're attacking?" Egwene asked idly. "I thought your only source of intelligence amongst them was Master Snape."

Tonks snorted softly saying "master" under her breath. "No, mind you this all comes from Moody, but as I understand it all the police stations in the British Isles are warded to detect dark magic. I've been told that the first few 'revels' the Death Eaters participated in were cut short by muggle emergency services showing up quickly. They learned that in order to have free reign of a place, they had to take out the EMS personnel first. It will usually take an hour or two for there to be enough magic saturation to alert the Ministry so they could easily raze a village of up to ten thousand before the first Auror or Obliviator responds."

Harry blinked at Tonks's long-winded explanation. To be frank he was surprised that the purebloods that formed the Death Eaters knew enough about the muggles to neutralize them like that.

He heard a whoosh along with muttered curses before a distinctive gait was heard coming towards them. Mad-Eye Moody facial expression as strode towards them looked as if he had a hedgehog attached to his crotch. "Can I trust you and your woman not to blow out my neck Potter?" Moody demanded.

"Don't point your wand at us and we won't harm a head on your hair," Harry said in a flat tone. "Are you willing to pay the butcher's bill?"

"Always. Probably won't tonight though. Killing wizards takes too much damn paperwork and the purebloods at the Ministry throw a bloody hissy fit unless you do them a favor and knock off a muggle-born. Now lets stop talking as if we're at a tea party. Grab hold of this umbrella so I can activate this Portkey."

All four of them grasped the umbrella before Moody tapped his wand against it. The world blurred away as Harry's equilibrium was shot as he spun about at a dizzying pace. After far too long the world phased into normal as he and Egwene were tossed to the ground. He noted with small amusement that Tonks lasted all of three steps before she too ate asphalt.

The acrid smell of ash was the first thing he noticed when he took in his surroundings. He appeared to be in the middle of a parking lot with a spattering of cars parked in it. A row of brick and stone houses stood in front of him while turning his head there appeared to be an art boutique standing next to a small market. The electricity was out though. Street lights stood dead, allowing only the stars above and a waning moon to provide light. Focusing back on the houses he could see the flicker of flames from inside the house something…most likely someone was burning if he could tell from the smells.

A loud shout caught his attention. He stood up into a crouched position before heading towards a parked car. He raised his head above the hood to only see a black robe enter a house. A muffled "Crucio" was heard before a woman's scream tore through the air.

"Damn fools aren't even bothering to cast silent," Moody griped as he started towards him. Harry heard a strange pop - as if his ears had decompressed - and turned around to see sixteen more people appear in three clusters. He assumed they were Order members since Moody didn't attack them.

A rustle distracted him as Egwene withdrew a bolt of powder blue cloth from inside her cloak that promptly cut itself into several equal swathes. "Quickly, tie these to your left arms so that we can identify friend from foe."

Harry stared in satisfaction as the members of the Order quickly complied. He couldn't easily tell who they were due to the darkness - he thought he saw Bill Weasley - but was glad to see that the powder blue armbands were easily identifiable. They fidgeted nervously though. Except for Moody they were all too green. He doubted a single one sans Moody had a killer's instinct. The Order had been operating for over a year though. It seemed more and more likely that Snape had been withholding information if the Order hadn't seen any battles yet.

The woman's screams had died off; time was wasting. "It is time for the pipers to play the dance," Harry said reveling in the void. _Saidin_ sang to him as he began to draw it into himself. He idly noted a concerned look from Tonks before the predominance of goose bumps on his skin signaled that Egwene was escalating her own channeling.

Emerging from the house of the woman being tortured were three figures in dark cloaks and white masks. Death Eaters. Without a second thought he weaved fire and air. Lightning lashed out from a cloudless sky striking all three, nearly deafening Harry from his position as thunder reverberated down the street. Nothing but charred corpses remained of the Death Eaters. He was already moving on, advancing slowly in a walk towards the west where he could see further fires. Thankfully stone and ceramic tiles didn't take easily to burning.

"What the bloody hell are you? How and why did you kill them?"

He quickly glanced back, staring at an unknown man with a powder blue armband on his left arm. Did he not realize they were in a battle? Looking beyond him he saw the rest of the Order members grouped loosely beyond the man. A woman was throwing up noisily against the car he had previously hid behind.

"Speak to me only if you have information about Death Eater movements or attacks. I'm here to fight and win. Shut up and get out of my way."

"Rand, I will risk burning myself out if I make a gateway and then try to fight without an _angreal_. Could you make a gateway to the middle of those fires there," Egwene said pointing to the west.

Ideas swam through his head. There were an unknown number of Death Eaters here. It would be far easier to simply drop down in the middle of them and draw them to his position. "How large of a dome of air can you channel?"

"Perhaps one five hundred spans in all directions. I could maintain it nearly indefinitely once the weaves are complete."

"Do so once we arrive. Wand users, you will shield our position," Harry ordered in a flat tone. "Be sure to maintain barriers of earth to stop the unforgivables. Prepare to cast quickly." He glanced worriedly at Egwene and Tonks. He did not want to add any more women to the list.

Harry made a gateway on the sidewalk, three meters tall and three meters wide, and ran through as he tied off the weave, filled with _saidin_ and Egwene and Moody at his heals. He arrived into the razing of a street. Gouts of flame spat from houses as the trees and fields burned liberally. The all too familiar stench of charred flesh wafted through the air. A flurry of ash blew through the air while the smoke suffocated Harry with every breath he took. The melted frames of cars only completed the apocalyptic scene in front of him.

He was pleased to see Moody and three other wizards transfiguring the asphalt pavement into barriers. Egwene stood in deep concentration in the middle as she deftly weaved air to trap the Death Eaters into their grave. He waited for the Order members to finish running through the gateway before he closed it.

"Full circle you wankers. Jones, take you and Richards to cover us from the east. Weasley you and Roberts have the south. Billings and Martin take the west while Perkins and Lee take the north. The rest of us reinforce the gaps and lay down fire when we can," Tonks said in an authoritative voice. "Spread out further! We don't want to be clustered so tightly to make this a barrel shoot for them."

Harry was impressed. He had never seen her perform her duties as an Auror and was pleased to see her assume a command position so rapidly. With his hold on _saidin_ though he could see the involuntary jitters that racked her body, displaying her nerves as light from flame flickered over her face. It spoke to the strength of her character that she could overcome her nerves to get the job done.

The tingle he felt on his skin subsided from a near roar to a trickle as Egwene turned to face him and nodded. Her role was done, which meant it was time for him to play his.

Harry thrust his hand high and channeled. "Death Eaters! You cowards face helpless muggles! Come here and prove to me that you are not feckless inbred pureblooded servants of that insane bastard Voldemort!" Weaves of air and fire helped his voice boom across the west ward of Pickering. He anticipated that whoever was in charge of the Death Eaters would be unable to resist retaliating to his taunts. His goal was to kill as many as quick as possible before they caught on.

Twin flashes of green came from the South nearly two minutes later as two Death Eaters strode out of a house. Harry noted with satisfaction that immediately two barriers expanded to absorb the magic before they exploded into dust. He channeled fire and the two Death Eaters fell to the ground, fire gutting out of their orifices.

A wizard behind him grunted as spells slammed into his position, knocking him to the ground, blood seeping from his right side. It was either Billings or Martin. The witch he was partnered with began to desperately cast Protego Horribilis repeatedly as she sought to protect him from further harm. Looking, he could see several Death Eaters now hugging the terrain as they cast various colored spells towards him. It made no difference. Fire blossomed from the ground in geysers, sending chunks of asphalt and stone flying through the air mixed with blood and flesh. Groans from a man could be heard as he stumbled forward a few steps at an odd angle before collapsing, exposing the left third of his body sheared off.

Egwene took advantage of Harry clearing out the Death Eaters to the west to approach the wounded wizard and heal him. He was in good hands, Nynaeve had taught her what tricks she could.

A figure darted out from behind the ruins of a wall to disappear with a sharp crack. Moments later a red shower came raining down above where he Disapparated from. It appeared that Egwene's dome of air acted as a fatal Anti-Apparition ward.

Harry heard Bill cry out to only see that his partner lay dead with a glassy-eyed expression on his face. Moody was laying down a stream of low powered curses silently to light up the location from where the curse had come from. Harry focused in that direction channeling earth now. The ground shook beneath the building to have it collapse in on itself, trapping whoever had killed Roberts inside the wreckage.

Perspiration was now getting in his eyes as the heat of the spreading fires began to get to him. His eyes stung as smoke began to rapidly reduce his visibility as he further opened himself up to _saidin_ ready to dispatch the next attack.

But no more curses came. Straining he could hear voices drifting in from the east only for a few moments before he heard a "Morsmordre" being yelled out. Then the only sound to be heard was the crackling of the flames.

"Stand down," Harry ordered after a few more minutes of nothing happening. He refused to release _saidin_, incase this was a lull before another attack.

"John? Oh god John, oh no oh oh no…" the woman who had earlier thrown up chanted in a mantra. She was either Billings or Martin now that he paid closer attention as she cradled Roberts's body.

Seeing no movement he focused back on the Order members. Excluding Egwene and Moody, all of the Order members looked either shell shocked or nauseous. He noted with satisfaction that Moody, Hestia Jones, and Tonks had refused to relax their wands though as they trained their eyes on the surroundings.

"Merlin…what did you do to those people? How could you have just killed them like that?" that same annoying man from earlier asked him.

He ignored the man as he channeled air to clear out the smoke limiting their visibility to twenty meters. Towards the east the sickly green sigil of the Dark Mark was visible. "How much longer do we have until the Ministry arrives?"

"At most an hour," Moody said in a gruff tone.

"Do we have time to help save the muggles who survived and start putting out these fires?"

"Yes. Hestia, you take care of Elena here. Tonks, you guard our two new best chums. The rest of you lot follow me."

Harry watched as Hestia Jones pulled the woman…Elena into a gentle embrace as she broke down into tears. Moody set off in a fast paced clip for him with thirteen Order members, barking out instructions as they began to put out fires in order to sweep the houses one by one to look for survivors.

Egwene stood up slowly from where she had been healing Elena's partner to stand near him and Tonks. "Light," Egwene said softly. "I need to find an _angreal_."

"You did well. Did you see how your weaves of air acted as a fatal Anti-Apparition ward? I wonder how they got out of it. I suppose it doesn't stop Portkeys," Harry mused in a cool tone. "You performed excellent as well Tonks. I saw how you took command immediately once we went through the gateway."

Tonks smiled wanly. "You did tell me I was in command of the wand users. Plus I ran my own patrol of four Aurors back with the Ministry. Helps to take top marks in the Academy."

Harry returned the smile. "Can you drop your barrier in case any EMS wants to get in?" Harry asked looking at Egwene. He felt his skin tingle as she complied before he turned back towards Tonks. "If I wanted to get a report from you and Moody at least, where should we meet?"

"McGonagall said we would start meeting at her house on the outskirts of Glasgow. I can see if we can meet up at her place tomorrow evening."

"Make it happen. I believe we have found several recruits for _Shen an Ellisande_ tonight."

A comfortable silence fell amongst the trio as they watched Moody's men put out the last fire in their vicinity. Unfortunately, not a single survivor had yet to be seen. The Death Eaters were as savage as Trollocs.

Seeing no further threats Harry released his hold on _saidin_. Considering the circumstances, tonight's encounter had been a smashing success. One loss to at least fifteen Death Eaters by his count. The butcher's bill had been light.


	4. A Murder of Crows

**A/N: Thank you to all who have reviewed this story. Your input is valued as always. Once again I must warn that there are spoilers for the entire Harry Potter series and up to Knife of Dreams for the Wheel of Time series. **

**A huge thanks to Sree, Willow26 and the rest who commented on this chapter over at the DLP forums.**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Lord Voldemort stared at the parchment in front of him, studying the notes he had taken. Eight times now in the past twenty-four hours he had visited the most recent memory in his Pensieve. Each visit brought forth even more intriguing details of the incredible use of magic he had witnessed.

A glance at his surroundings brought a satisfied smirk to his face. For nearly fifty years now this room had served as his personal study. House elves kept the maroon carpet and furniture in pristine condition. His oak bookshelves that covered three of the walls, and his maple desk stood in stark contrast to the rest of the room; books and sheaves of parchment that covered nearly every subject conceivable covered every surface stacked in a half-hazard manner. Those heady years after Hogwarts in pursuing the knowledge they dared not teach had been some of the finest in his life. He had his back to the fourth wall, magically reinforced glass displaying the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. On the north end of the window a bare construct resembling a tree trunk and branches stood. He would often enter the room to see Nagini lounging on it in the dawn sun to absorb heat.

All three individuals who he had let into this sanctuary had expressed surprise at this pedestrian vista. Visiting the ocean was one of the few pleasant memories he had from his days in the orphanage. He himself emulated the ocean, battering and whittling away at his opponents until they eroded into dust. They were even apparently accomplishing the same goal. While joined with Quirrell they resorted to muggle transportation to go from Romania to Prague. On board that horrid cramped steel contraption the Czechs insisted was a train, they sat next to two westerners who kept bemoaning the phenomenon of global warming, which apparently consisted of the ocean levels rising and destroying muggle cities. It would be quite...lovely if that were to occur.

A sharp gasp drew his attention as Antonin Dolohov withdrew his head from the Pensieve resting upon his desk. He exercised patience as he waited for his vassal to collect himself and his thoughts.

"My Lord," Dolohov started in an unsteady tone, "What did I just witness?"

"An incredible feat of intelligence from a most loyal servant. He saw that his brethren were being slaughtered and instead of running or losing his head, he simply observed so that I could learn from their mistakes. It appears that dealing with the Order will not be as simple as I had assumed."

"The Order? What did they have to do with this My Lord? That fool Dumbledore would never allow for them to use lethal force. Hell, even during the 70's when their ranks were swelled with veterans from the fight against Grindelwald Dumbledore had them so neutered that the worst we had to deal with was a stunner."

A smirk came to life across Voldemort's face. It never failed to amuse him how an upstart like him was able to kill so many skilled witches and wizards simply because their leader grew queasy at taking a life. The fact that Grindelwald had lived for fifty years now in confinement was simply appalling. Death would be a mercy to him.

"Didn't you see our good friend Moody in the middle shooting at anything that moved? That bastard is nearly synonymous with the Order. No, I suspect someone is taking advantage of the absence of Dumbledore to change the stakes."

He could see Dolohov's fists clench the wood of arms of the chair he was seated in. "What of Severus? Surely he would shine some light on this situation."

"I believe him to be dead," Voldemort said in a low tone. "Unless that mysterious couple have found some way to overcome my Dark Mark. It is a small loss. Thanks to your capture our intelligence of the Order is...most excellent. Has Bella reported back yet as to the success of her mission last night?"

An irritated tremble that went through Dolohov told Voldemort all that he needed to know. "Yes my Lord. She took herself and three others to the muggle residence. To their surprise there were no operational bloodwards as we had been told there were. She immediately proceeded to go to the room we had been told was Potter's while her cohorts eliminated his relatives. Upon reaching his room she found no sign of him or anything that could be his belongings. She estimated that no one had been in the room for at least a week." Most likely two weeks. His connection with Potter had been somehow severed then.

"Interesting, it appears that our werewolf guest's information is no longer current. See to it that he is eliminated."

"Yes my Lord."

Voldemort began to tap his fingers idly upon his desk as his attention returned to the parchment. Every note of this encounter he took simply raised more questions. He identified every spell that had been cast by a wand. Yet that couple that stood in the middle of that Order formation used no wands. Wherever that man seemingly focused his attention his Death Eaters would die in an applaudingly efficient manner.

"Antonin, you have stood by my side for nearly three decades. You of all my Death Eaters have maintained your loyalty and intelligence the best. Tell me, what is your impression of the unknown man and woman you saw?"

Dolohov reached up and stroked his beard idly, his face comically scrunched up in deep thought. "They used no wands. I couldn't tell their age either. From a certain angle they looked like they could be twenty yet a moment later I thought they were in their forties. I recognize Moody now. He was taking orders from that man. Whatever the man did, he killed with at least three types of attacks with no visible hand movements. I would really like to know who they are."

Voldemort quickly weighed the pros and cons of further confiding in Dolohov. He and Rosier had been with him since the beginning. Bella was the young spark whose skill with the dark arts and a wand far exceeded her age. He had played all three against one another, using them to push each other further along. Now Rosier was dead and Bella was more insane than not. Azkaban had not been kind to his precious little Lestrange. He would simply have to work with what he had until the new generation proved their worth.

"Tonight you will meet with Coxhill. He is currently an aide to our good Minister. Hired by Lucius when he was still of use." A grimace flittered across Voldemort's face. Lucius had failed in so many ways. "It is thanks to Coxhill that we were so easily able to take Azkaban. He convinced Fudge to foolishly cut the budget for that prison, allowing us to easily subdue the Aurors that were stationed there. Bones must be ready to kill Fudge herself with his interference in her department. Anyways, I digress. Describe to Coxhill the people you saw and the type of magic they wield. See if the Minister can do our work for us by uncovering the identity of our new opponent."

Dolohov stood abruptly knowing that he was being dismissed. He hesitated to leave however. "My Lord, what of the knowledge of the Order members involved? Our good Minister and the Wizenmagot will not take kindly to the death of so many Purebloods."

Voldemort drew satisfaction from unnerving his most competent Death Eater with a simple look. "Say nothing of them. If the Ministry overplays its hand too quickly the Order may decide to take it for themselves, giving them all of its resources. Better for now to have the Minister focused on two people while giving us free reign to counter this newest threat."

He put his face back down to the parchment and opened another tome on his desk, effectively dismissing Dolohov. He waited for Dolohov's footsteps to reach the edge of the Anti-Apparition wards before he lost himself again in studying. An answer to the magic he witnessed had to be somewhere. He just had to be patient enough to find it. Then he would teach these new opponents a lesson they wouldn't survive to forget.

* * *

To the east the sun was slowly rising above the London skyline. Haze clung to the sky as the temperature began to slowly rise. The sound of motors running and the smell of exhaust from the morning rush hour permeated the late July air.

Upon the flat roof of number twelve Grimmauld Place Harry stood soaked in sweat. Light! The heat and humidity of London was nearly as bad as Fal Dara, bordering the Blight. It was nice to exercise outside instead of inside Grimmauld Place with its dearth of lighting and stale air, but he was going to have to start earlier if he didn't wish to feel as if he was practicing his forms in a soup. He could of course simply trick his mind into ignoring the heat, but that cheapened the exercise.

It had been an odd few days since the battle of Pickering. Eleven of the Order members had promptly decided to join _Shen an Ellisande_, including Mad Eye Moody, Bill Weasley and Hestia Jones. Hestia was a particularly unexpected gem in the rough. Holding a high-ranking position in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, she had access to confidential internal memos that explained in excruciating details the rationale for the positions of the Ministry. It would be enlightening to see if the Minister would be able to keep any secrets.

He grimaced slightly at the thought of that battle. It was frustrating to be so constrained in his dealings with the Death Eaters. At least Trollocs or the Seanchan had the courtesy to line up in formations that provided easy targets. Here the Death Eaters were so few in numbers, and the innocents in such great numbers he had to wield _saidin_ like a scalpel, only making quick surgical slashes at them.

Egwene since the battle was oddly subdued, no longer carrying herself as if she still had the entire White Tower at her command. This unnerved him considerably. From demanding to leave with him after Winternight to reunifying the White Tower, she had shown no outward hesitation in her actions. He couldn't speculate as to what had set her off balance. Even worse, she kept giving him indecipherable looks. It made the hairs on his neck stand up whenever he tried to think of what she may be viewing him for.

The _Daily Prophet_ was truly entertaining in its covering of the events of Pickering. Yesterday the story broke that the remains of several Purebloods were found amongst the numerous casualties in the West Ward. Outrage was the response. It was unsurprising to see the Minister blame Voldemort for their deaths. He wasn't sure whether Voldemort was more dangerous due to his propensity to kill or the Minister for his sheer incompetence.

A squeak signaled that someone had opened the door to the roof. He turned to find Egwene approaching him, albeit reluctantly. This did nothing to reassure him. "Morning," he greeted her gruffly, not looking forward to dealing with whatever she was going to send his way.

"Light Rand! Why are you sweating so much? Why don't you just ignore the heat?" Egwene said as she approached him.

Harry shrugged before turning away to look back at the street below him. The street was partly obscured due to the leafy expanses of trees planted below, their leaves a healthy bright green. It was curious how Egwene had aborted all attempts to call him Harry and now referred to him exclusively as Rand.

"I have a request," Egwene said in a wary tone. "It's awkward and you won't like it. Just know that I will only perform it with your explicit permission."

Harry spun back to face her. Her face was closed to him, her eyes betraying none of the nervousness he knew she had. Her hand absently played at her hair. It would be a sure bet that if she had it braided she would be giving it tugs. "Egwene, just spit it before this roof becomes a true sweat tent," Harry stated impatiently. If she was going to complicate his life, best she do it quickly instead of dragging it out.

"I want to bond you as my Warder," Egwene said. His mouth dropped. That he did not expect. "You're all that I really have left. In that skirmish wherever we were, I immediately went to link into a circle after we went through your gateway. It shocked me a bit to find no other _saidar_ users around. It wasn't until then that it really hit me that everything I knew is gone. My parents, friends, Gawyn…my Aes Sedai. There's no point in being the Amyrlin if I'm the only Aes Sedai." Her voice choked and Harry looked up to see to his horror that her eyes were suspiciously bright. Blood and ashes, Egwene simply did not have breakdowns. "I can't lose you as well. You simply mean too much to me, no matter how much I wish to throttle you at times. You show all the concern of a child poking at a bear in your dealings with this Voldemort. You may very well be correct that he is of no threat, but I would feel better if I could at least track you. Your odds of survival do increase with the bond you know. I'll even swear to release you whenever you want. I have no intentions to bind you against your will. Just consider it, please. And I do know better than to try to command you," she said in a wry tone. Thankfully her control reasserted itself and no tears dropped.

Harry promptly closed his mouth to hide his shock. She wanted to bind with him? Madness. He knew he shouldn't be so surprised. There was a time long ago that he yearned to be her Warder, serving her much as Lan would serve Nynaeve. There would never be a return to those days. They both knew that sooner or later they would oppose one another on a subject and neither would be tempted to trip into bed to resolve the tensions. He loathed her capacity to scheme while she thought he was a headstrong foolish man who needed to be leashed.

They did need one another though. He did not doubt the veracity of her feelings. She was alone except for him in a strange world. Egwene needed him simply to anchor her. It helped that she could recall fondness for him every time the urge to strap him grew strong. Harry's need for her required less effort. Her presence by itself was proof alone that Aviendha, Elayne and Min were all real and existed. That was all he needed.

Her oath to release him if desired definitely sweetened the pot. She would keep her word. He would gain the ability to heal quicker from damage, have greater stamina and faster reflexes. Since he channeled _saidin_ he did not have to worry about her being able to control him through the bond.

It came down to the simple issue of was it worth it for him to be bonded to her simply so she could track his health and mental status. His body felt fresh, no longer suffering from the pain that wracked his body ceaselessly. That was a plus since she wouldn't feel the pain that initially overwhelmed his wives when they bonded him. Egwene kept her emotions so tightly reined that he doubted he would feel much from her. He wouldn't cherish this bond like that he had with wives, but she never intended to usurp their position.

That clenched it for him. Looking her in the eyes, he nodded once to signal his consent. His skin tingled as he felt the use of _saidar_. Moments later Egwene flared in his mind, her presence initially overwhelming him due to her close proximity.

He could feel her mood. Every thought was tinged with pain at being torn out of the Third Age. Yet every thought also contained a steely determination to persevere. It was amusing how affection and ire dueled one another when she thought of him. He felt her hunger which reinforced his own. He hoped that she wouldn't start to nag him over forgotten meals.

_No! Light burn us! What have you done! _Lews Therin railed. _Death and madness lies down this path!_

"You're so different," Egwene stated with wonder. "Gawyn's emotions were all over, coursing from rage to love. You're just …Light! How can you stand the pain those markings give you?"

Harry gave her half a smile. "Be thankful that is all you feel."

Egwene smiled sadly at him before turning around and heading back towards the door downstairs. He heard her call to him to come down for breakfast, but he chose to ignore it.

She was right. It was different.

* * *

Minister Fudge tumbled out of the floo into his personal office. Red and purple blotted his face as he harshly strode towards his desk.

The desk was large, eight feet long by four feet wide made from English Oak. It was bare save for an inbox, outbox, and an ink bottle with a quill sticking out. A wooden framed chair with opulent cushions sat behind the desk. Two stiff-framed chairs sat in front of the desk, as if to deliberately put his guests at a disadvantage. The portraits of past Ministers of Magic adorned the walls, shifting restlessly as they felt the rage from Fudge.

"Weasley! I need that Unspeakable report! Get me Dolores and Coxhill while you're at it!" Fudge yelled out as he took his seat.

The past two months had been catastrophe piled upon catastrophe. Voldemort had actually returned. Potter disappears into the Department of Mysteries, only to apparently return older. His pulse raced as he thought of Dumbledore withholding the information of Potter's new identity. And now there was apparently a massacre of purebloods in Pickering. Only scant details had been forwarded to him while in Shanghai, yet the only conclusion he could reach was that Voldemort had for some reason cleaned house. Only he could be responsible for such brutality. Now in mid-August, his poll ratings were in the low tens. He was going to have to spend the next few weeks making concessions on legislation to prevent the Wizenmagot from impeaching him when they reconvened after their summer recess.

Weatherby…no Weasley - damn those polls for making him learn the names of his staff - scampered into his room with a tea set and a folder. At least the Chinese could make proper tea. No one could butcher it like those colonists. If he could only export Voldemort to them.

"Minister! Welcome back!" Weasley crooned as he handed Fudge the folder before setting down the tea. "Madam Umbridge will be here shortly. Mr. Coxhill is still at his residence since he was here until four in the morning last night working away."

"Good good," Fudge muttered irritably as he began skimming the folder. "Have you read this report by chance yet?"

"Oh yes. I got it last night from the Unspeakables. It's incredible, I think for once the papers got it wrong."

This stopped Fudge short. It was his office that leaked the fact that Voldemort was responsible. While it was attributed to unnamed Ministry sources…it would be just his luck if it got traced back to him. "Oh, what exactly did the papers get wrong?"

Percy finished pouring the tea and handed Fudge a cup and saucer. He then pressed his horn-rimmed glasses against his forehead, as if he was about to deliver a dissertation. "It's quite amazing. Remember that strange groove found in the room with that doorway after that mystery man escaped?" Fudge's stomach began to drop. "Two grooves exactly like it…except longer across were found in Pickering. That means the man from the Department of Mysteries is most likely responsible for all those dead."

Oh Merlin. Harry Potter killed all those people in Pickering. Potter had apparently snapped and decided he was above the law. Oh Morgana, was Potter going to target him next? Potter wasn't going to forget a year of slandering him. Fudge knew that he wouldn't forget that himself. That man used wandless magic! Not even Dumbledore was that skilled without a wand. "Potter is going to be the death of me," Fudge moaned as his hands wringed his lime green top hat.

"Potter? What does he have to do with Pickering?" Percy asked in a confused tone.

"Potter! He's involved with Pickering!?" Dolores inquired as she waddled into the room. "What does Potter have to do with that tragedy?"

Fudge held up his hand as he opened up one of the drawers to his desk. He blindly groped around until he found a small loose vial. Headache Suppressor Potion. He was going to need at least one of these today. He popped off the cork and swiftly downed it. Looking up Percy had sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk while Dolores had moved to stand behind his shoulder. That woman really needed to learn to give him personal space. "Potter was the mystery man from the Department of Mysteries four weeks ago. Not even Dumbledore knew the identity or origin of the woman though."

Weasley gasped as he connected the dots and turned pale. No doubt he was recalling his own actions against Potter.

Dolores just looked confused. "Wait, how did Potter get so old? Curses! I thought we had seen the last of him after he suffered the same fate as that blasted criminal Black!"

Fudge massaged his temple before answering, "It's beyond me and apparently Dumbledore what happened. All that I do know is that Potter is now apparently of age, the most capable user of wandless magic I have ever seen, and was at Pickering."

A paper airplane emerged from a small hole near the doorway before Dolores could reply. Fudge tracked it as it flew towards Weasley. He was thankful that Dolores stayed her mouth while they waited to see what warranted an airplane to follow Weasley into his office. The pallor of Weasley's face grew even paler. Did he have any Stomach Smoother Potion in his desk?

"There was another incident last night," Percy started in a timid voice. "It was the Carrow residence. No survivors. One groove present on the driveway, within the wards."

Fudge moaned. It looked like England now had the courtesy to host two dueling Dark Lords. "Merlin. Did Potter leave any distinctive signs behind?"

"Potter!" Dolores exclaimed clasping her hands together in excitement. "Potter was responsible for Pickering and the murder of the Carrows? We finally have him! That brat is going to suffer like none other for what he and that bitch Granger did to me! Weasley, go schedule a press conference!"

Fudge sighed as he gave Dolores an incredulous glance. Didn't she recall the last year they spent vilifying Potter? Any blatant move they made against Potter now would be met with derision from the press as an attempt to blame Potter for his own poll problems. "Weasley, stay where you are. Dolores, if we call out Potter right now we'll be laughed into impeachment. The press and the public will remember us lying about Potter and think that I'm trying to blame him again to save my own hide."

"Very wise decision Minister," a smooth voice drawled out as a non-descript man in his mid-twenties entered.

"Brian my lad! Good to see you've arrived." Fudge beamed as he greeted his Legislative Aide, Brian Coxhill. "This morning has gone properly down the shitter and I haven't even been here for thirty minutes."

"I presumed as much since you rang on me so early," Brian said as he took the seat next to Percy. "What has Potter done now that warrants your ire?"

"He's our mystery man from the Department of Mysteries!" Fudge explained once again. "We now have proof that places him at Pickering and last night's attack on the Carrows."

A 'hmm' came from Brian as he pondered the information. Fudge interpreted this as a reason to continue. "Now as I was telling Dolores, if we simply told the press that Potter had gained a decade and was out killing purebloods, we'd be laughed out of office. I say that we have that chap you know in _The Daily Prophet_ Dolores…Bac...no…Bitt…no…Bowerman! That's his name. Get Bowerman, have him to start running a series of articles about how if Voldemort is targeting Potter, Potter should be working with the Ministry in the fight. Start focusing the public's attention from me to Potter."

"Before you set out for your task Dolores, may I recommend a modification to your idea Minister?" Brian interjected. Fudge waved for him to continue. "Leak part of the doorway incident. Let it be known that an Auror, now fired, let Potter play with an unknown artifact that aged him a decade. Get the public used to Potter being older. We wait patiently, gathering evidence of the crimes of Potter. When the time is right, Potter will suffer the full wrath of the law and be prosecuted as an adult."

This was the course of action Fudge wanted to hear! If he could shift the media and public's attention on Potter just enough before they nabbed him he would be hailed as a hero for stopping a prospective Dark Lord while being vindicated for vilifying him a year ago. "Do it! Brian my lad, I see a big promotion coming your way."

A soft smile was Brian's only response. "Thank you Minister. Sir, I realize this may be inconvenient, but I'm afraid I left my eggs on the stove to rush over here. Would it be possible to take the Unspeakable reports on the doorway incident, Pickering attack and the Carrow attack home with me to review while I have my breakfast?"

Fudge smiled gratefully as he handed the reports over to Brian. "If we only had more employees like you. Go enjoy your breakfast. Take all the time with those reports that you want."

"You're too kind Minister," Brian said as he stood up to leave. "Dolores, Percy, Minister. I wish you all a good morning and I'll see you in a short while."

Fudge was quick to dismiss the other two, Percy off to do whatever and Dolores to her contact at _The Daily Prophet_. This morning sure improved fast. It was going to be a glorious end to summer.

* * *

_Light what have I done! I deserve to die for my actions. I was promised oblivion. Where is it?_

Harry rubbed his brow as he walked down Diagon Alley. Lews Therin hadn't shut up for nearly a month since he bonded with Egwene. There would be no reasoning with him.

"Headache Ha…err sorry, Rand?" Tonks asked in a concerned tone walking to his left.

He had weaved a Mask of Mirrors and now resembled his old self, albeit shorter. His hair had a reddish tint to it and his eyes were a cloudy blue. His skin was tanned as if he had been out in the Waste for the past month. Wearing jeans with a brown leather jacket he figured he could pass off as a muggle-born as he walked through Diagon Alley. Praise the Light that he could ignore the heat. Tonks had adopted a slim figure with long brown hair. Both seemed please with the anonymity as they made their way to the newly opened Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes.

"Nice catch there 'Kate.' And I suppose I have a headache of a sort. Too bad there is no cure for it…trust me," Harry answered in a wry tone.

"Hmph. Are you saying we can't magic you up a cure?" Tonks said in a playful tone.

Harry just shook his head. "Those…with thousands of years of experience in healing were unable to cure this headache. I'll be taking this to the grave."

_Fools! Acting as if they don't have a care. Don't they know that death is coming? Don't they know that I am here? Oh Ilyena, wait for me._

The mood swings of Lews Therin were getting worse as well. Thankfully he had managed to shield Egwene from feeling them through the bond. He could feel her, back roughly two hundred meters. She was probably at Flourish and Botts, looking for more information to whatever tickled her fancy. She had been rather cross at his recent insistence on saying that if she had ever taken the Oath she would be in the Brown Ajah.

"Rotten that," Tonks muttered before her attention returned to her surroundings. He withheld a sigh as he saw her scanning the people they walked past for threats. She had been far too anxious over his safety ever since his new appearance became public.

Damn Dumbledore. He was not pleased when McGonagall had flooed over to tell him that Dumbledore had revealed Harry's identity to Fudge. At least Dumbledore had kept his side of the bargain and not revealed additional pertinent information about him. In two weeks Harry would meet with him. He would prefer to meet with him sooner, but Dumbledore wouldn't arrive back in England until September First and claimed to need a week to get everything at Hogwarts settled down.

"Oi Rand. So you haven't commented on the new uniform that me and Elena made. What do you think of them?"

"You don't exactly get points for creativity," Harry noted with an amused lilt. They were virtually the same as the Asha'man uniform. Dark blue instead of black. Silver pins of a rose and a wand replaced those of the dragon and sword. Tonks to his ire had cut her coat to accentuate her breasts. He was simply thankful that she had yet to catch on to his frequent glances.

"Pfft. If it's not broke why fix it." Tonks said with a dismissing wave of her hand. She turned to him and waggled her eyebrows, "Besides, I think you appreciate me wearing it just as much as I appreciate you wearing yours."

Bloody hell. All women were far too observant.

Tonks was fitting in nicely though to her command with _Shen an Ellisande_. Twice a week she led her wizards on training exercises to work as a cohesive fighting force. She had wisely retained Moody as her second in command. While too far past his prime to fight in a prolonged combat situation, he knew how to give and take orders and make decisions on the fly. For the raids on the Carrows and the Parkinsons Harry and Egwene simply provided transportation via Traveling while letting Tonks's forces get their feet wet.

There it was. Up to the left was a garish building, coated with salmon pink paint. Letters attached above the window displays advertised "Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes" in varying colors, all neon. A crowd throbbed around the building. If the twins considered him a partial owner for his investment, his coffers certainly wouldn't be hurting.

"Merlin! Those two are certainly doing well. Molly must be eating crow," Tonks said as she took his hand and began to pull Harry towards the entrance. "Make way! Make way! Sensitive supplies being delivered!" Tonks shouted at the crowd gathered around to watch the window displays. It was quite amusing how they automatically cleared a path for the two of them despite the fact that neither one carried a parcel.

Entering the shop Harry felt Tonks's hand go slack and let it fall out of his own. The shop itself was a shrine to chaos. Shoppers of all ages cluttered shelves stacked to the brim with pranks. A shadow on one wall tried to fight the shadow of a small boy. Harry nearly seized _saidin_ before realizing that it was just a product, not a bubble of evil from the Dark One. Carnivalesque music that was already getting on his nerves blared from an unseen source. He scanned the customers looking for red hair. Naturally one of the twins could be seen on the opposite side near the storeroom.

This time he led the charge through the mob. Grabbing Tonks he dragged her through the sea of people. A sword would have been handy to clear a path. After nearly a minute of pushing people aside he finally reached Fred, who was instructing a young buxom woman with golden-red hair how to operate a register. At least the twins had style.

He snapped his fingers towards Fred, drawing an irritated glare at being so rudely interrupted. "Fred," Harry sighed in an exaggerated manner. "What would the chasers think of your new employee?" He then leaned in to whisper, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

Fred's eyes went wide. "Har-" was all Fred said before his mouth went silent. Harry didn't need to look to know that Tonks had silenced him with her wand.

"C'mon Fred. Nod your head once if George is in the back." Fred nodded. "Good, let's head back there. I'm in need of your services."

"Mr. Weasley. Are you alright? Who are these people?" the woman asked. It was nice to see that she recognized a potential threat to her boss.

Harry gave Tonks a nudge and pointed at Fred. She smirked before she flicked her wand again.

"Good to see you mate. Who's the bird? No matter, I'll find out. Head on back to greet George. I'll be there in a 'mo," Fred said as he pointed to the door.

Harry walked into the storeroom, smiling slightly as he heard Fred assure his employee that she was capable of performing her job without him. He wouldn't bet a knut against Fred taking a tumble with her within a week.

_Her hair…like my Ilyena's. How dare he touch her? She is mine and I am hers._

That was the third time this week he had claimed a woman as his Ilyena. Once it had been the hair, once he swore some woman had her nose. There was no reasoning with the mad.

"Hey! Customers aren't allowed back here," George warned as he saw Harry and Tonks approach.

Seizing _saidin_, Harry dropped the weaves for his Mask of Mirrors while Tonks morphed into her favorite form with bubblegum pink hair. He was distracted from George's reaction by a growing mixture of curiosity and tension coming from Egwene. He had yet to feel anything like this from her so far. Oh well, he was sure she'd let him know somehow if she needed him.

A thwack on his arm from Tonks brought his attention back to George. "Sorry about spacing out, I felt something unexpected. Nothing bad so no need to concern yourselves," Harry said addressing the concerned looks on their faces. "Now George, let's just wait a second for Fred so we can get our business over with and you can return to minding your shop."

George just smiled as he absently stirred his cauldron. "No worries benefactor of ours. We know you wouldn't brave the no longer adoring public just to see our pretty faces."

Harry snorted. It was worthless to be concerned with the opinion of the public with the rate it changed. The door opened to let in Fred, with a noticeable red smudge over his lips. "So desperate that you need to take advantage of your employees?"

"Harry mate, I should really be offended," Fred said smugly as he shut the door. Harry took the opportunity to channel air to block any potential eavesdroppers. "But I acknowledge that I will never accomplish what you have. I mean…with three women at once! And you stayed married to them!" There was nothing but the void. The only thing in the void was the flame. There was only a flame.

"Fred, if you don't shut up I think George will be scraping you off the wall with a spatula into a trash bin," Tonks bit off, shooting a nervous glance at Harry. "Calm down Harry. Fred's an emotional cripple who doesn't understand what he's saying. Ignore him and lets tell them what we came for."

Harry reluctantly released his hold on _saidin_. "Very well. As George pointed out, the Minister and _The Daily Prophet_ are trying to rally public opinion against me. Sources inside the Ministry have informed me that the Unspeakables have now linked me to Pickering and the attack on the Carrows. I need to…distract the Ministry. That's where you two come in."

Fred and George shared a glance and looked back at him expectantly. "How may this humble servant make up for his transgression?" Fred asked.

"Can you two get your hands on the equipment that the Ministry uses to produce its official literature?"

"Of course we can! It may take a bit of time though. I've only seen them once and they do tend to be under heavy guard," George assured him. He left his cauldron and approached Harry. "What do you want printed?"

Harry reached into his jacket and withdrew a manila envelope. "Here, this is what I need printed. We contacted Hermione and had her proof the content and layout."

George took the envelope and withdrew the sheet from inside. A low whistle came from his mouth as he passed it off to Fred. "Mate, this is going to draw Voldemort down upon the Ministry like my lesser half to our new employee. What about the workers there?"

An arched eyebrow was all the response George got. Blasted society, making your subordinates question your actions. "If you're going to fight a battle, who better to pay the butcher's bill than people who want you dead? The Ministry is gunning for me. They're displaying unusual subtlety right now, but eventually they plan to draw and quarter me for my tactics against the Death Eaters. We'll just have to have Voldemort go after them before the Ministry goes after us."

"Harry," Fred said hesitantly. "What about the employees of the Ministry. Like Dad?"

Reaching into his jacket once more he withdrew another envelope. "Here are the requirements we need for one-way emergency Portkeys. Can you make them?"

"Nope, but Angie has a friend who works in the Department of Magical Transportation. She gives him a bit of sugar and he'll be all over her explaining the ins and outs of Portkey creation."

"Good," Harry stated. "Apparition is not going to work with me and Egwene in the field. We'll have to rely on Portkeys to get people in and out."

Fred grunted in agreement while he looked back at the first sheet Harry had distributed. "Harry, this shop is crazy with the pre-Hogwarts rush. Even then, it's going to take us a while to get through to the actual Ministry. We can't give you a timeline for this."

"Don't worry," Harry assured Fred. "Just try to get them out before we all get warrants on our heads. Try to get upwards of a thousand copies. Post them liberally on the walls here in the Alley and I'll take the rest to get them distributed at Hogwarts and the Ministry. Is there any-" Harry stopped. Shock flared out from Egwene over the bond. Last time he had felt this level of shock was when that Darkfriend Guardsman-Lieutenant Doilin Mellar betrayed Elayne and tried to assassinate her. "Tonks, on me!" Harry ordered as he embraced _saidin_ and quickly rewove his Mask of Mirrors.

He ignored Fred and George as he quickly strode out of the storeroom, into the shop proper. He quickly wove air to push a path through confused shoppers. Thankfully most scowled towards Fred and George as they emerged from the storeroom behind him, blaming them for their inconvenience.

Just as he broke through the crowd surrounding the shop, the shock became joy. He sighed, as he stopped to wait for Tonks to catch up. Bloody Egwene. Make a fool out of him for Light knows what reason. Tonks caught up to him and they made their way silently to Egwene's position.

Egwene was sitting by herself at a table in front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, daintily eating ice cream. He just panicked over her discovering ice cream. If anyone found out he'd never hear the end of it.

Wait. She was staring at something, not just eating absent-mindedly. He tracked to what she was looking and found - Daphne Greengrass? He barely knew the girl, why would she elicit such a reaction from Egwene.

"Find someone interesting?" Harry asked in an irritated tone as he sat down next to her.

"Oh yes. You wouldn't by chance know who that young woman is over there?" Egwene said pointing at Greengrass with her spoon.

"Daphne Greengrass. She was in my class. Slytherin," he added, his own curiosity growing as he felt the feedback from his bond. Tonks simply stood behind him confused.

"Interesting. Hogwarts starts in a week, does it not? How quickly can we get her withdrawn?" Egwene inquired before she returned to the ice cream.

What in the nine hells was Egwene playing at? Greengrass was just going to be a sixth year at Hogwarts. The only reason he could imagine her leaving was if…"No, she -"

"Yes," Egwene interrupted smugly. "She has the spark. It matters not who I have to go through. She will be trained."

Light help him. After a short month and a half, the Aes Sedai were once more on the rise.

* * *

Harry tumbled out the floo of Dumbledore's office into an unruly sprawl to his frustration. Rough landings seemed to be a constant for him with magical transportation. Just as he stood up, Egwene tumbled out of the fireplace into Harry, knocking him over once more. Perhaps magical transportation simply didn't agree with channelers. He'd have to question Greengrass about her experiences with floo and Portkeys once Egwene managed to extract her from Hogwarts.

A quick glance at the office displayed vacancies on the shelves from the various knick-knacks Harry had destroyed the night Dumbledore revealed to him the prophecy. Dumbledore truly must have had a busy summer for him to not replace his belongings.

Standing up he idly gave Egwene a hand as Tonks gracefully popped out of the floo to land smoothly on her feet. That clenched it for him. If the floo didn't trip up a klutz like Tonks, there had to be something else at work.

"Well, at least we won't be accused of being early," Tonks noted as she looked around the empty office. "I thought we were meeting with Dumbledore's Order here?"

Harry gave Tonks an amused look. "We are. I just decided to come early to view a DA meeting. Plus this way Egwene can work on Dumbledore to acquire her student before the meeting starts." He pulled up the sleeve of his coat and glanced at his watch. "Good, they should have started twenty minutes ago. I'll see you two in a bit."

It felt nostalgic to walk through the stone halls of Hogwarts. Disguised once more as Rand he gathered curious looks from the few students in the halls as he made his way to the seventh floor. It was hard for him to imagine himself attending this year. It was laughable that he would put up with teachers insisting on completing their assignments and girls trying to flirt with him.

The doorway was already conjured as he approached the tapestry of Barabas the Barmy, so he quietly teased the door open and slid into the room unnoticed.

"-frin-go. It's con-frin-go. Remember all to enunciate the three syllables clearly," Hermione lectured as a desk was conjured by the room. "Now watch while I demonstrate the effects of the spell." She quickly flicked her wand before saying "Confringo!" The desk instantly shattered into several shards.

Harry slowly clapped his hands in appreciation of Hermione's spellwork. Within seconds upwards of twenty wands were pointed at him. He stood his ground as he released the Mask of Mirrors.

"Harry! You made it!" Hermione beamed as she waved him forward. "So what do you think?"

He walked up to the front, committing to memory the students in attendance. All the students from last year who didn't graduate were present sans Chang, Corner and Edgecombe. There were a few new faces, presumably fifth years. At the front of the students stood Hermione along with Susan Bones and Katie Bell. A glance for Ron saw him back amongst the pack of students with the rest of the Gryffindor contingent. "You've done well," he said warmly. "It's good to see all of you again."

"What in the name of Merlin happened to you Harry?" Dean asked hesitantly. The gathered students echoed the same question repeatedly.

"My usual luck." They weren't getting more out of him. None except Hermione and Ron were truly his friends, although Ginny, Luna and Neville almost qualified. With a simple thought a chair materialized beneath him as he sat down. "Now I believe Hermione just taught you a new spell. Pair up, with one person casting the spell while the other observes. Alternate between casts. Those of you observing note what your partner did right or wrong and inform them so they can master the spell."

The students lined up in a row perpendicular to where he was sitting, slightly to his left. Eleven crates materialized to his far right. A minute later, shouts could be heard as the students worked on the Confringo spell.

"It's like herding wet cats when I try to get them to follow me, but you just stroll in and they all fall in line," Hermione griped as she walked up to him. "Honestly, I wish I could pull it off like you. How have you been?"

"Well enough. How was the sorting?"

"Typical. The hat gave us a cryptic warning. This time involving a creation from Jewish culture. Not sure why it warned us about something made of clay, but I figured I'd start off with this spell so we could dispatch it."

Harry nodded. Leave it to Hermione to find a quick and practical way to overcome a potential obstacle. "How is leading the DA going?" Harry asked genuinely curious to Hermione's leadership skills.

"It is only the second meeting, but it helps to have Susan and Katie. Susan, thanks to her aunt has been learning Auror class spells and tactics all summer. That gives me tons of material to work with for planning future lessons. Katie makes for a good enforcer. She helped rein in the twins for the past six years, plus she's practicing her yelling skills for the Quidditch Pitch. She made captain by the way."

He gave Hermione a quick smile before focusing back on the Defense Association members. Neville still struggled to learn the basics as Hannah was slowly guiding him through the wand movements. Susan and Ginny both looked bored watching their respective partners having quickly mastered the spell themselves.

Light he prayed that this Voldemort business wouldn't last long enough that he'd have to use them. All he needed was a clear shot and it would be over. It was frustrating how nobody knew where Voldemort was. Neither the Carrows nor the Parkinsons could shed any light on his location, even under veritaserum.

A sharp whistle from Hermione brought him out of his musings. "Alright everyone! Great job tonight. You've all made terrific progress. It's going to be curfew in fifteen minutes, so we need to head out. Once I talk to the Quidditch captains I'll send you the next meeting date."

He waited patiently as students slowly filed out, waving bye to those who called out to him. Soon it was just Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Susan. He knew that the first three stayed back to follow him back to the Order meeting, but he was uncertain as to why Susan remained. "It was good to see you out there Ginny, Ron. You as well Susan. I hear you got some good lessons over summer."

Susan surprised him by ducking in and giving him a quick hug. "It's good to see you're alright. Auntie nearly stressed herself into a new shade of grey this summer thinking that one of her Aurors had been responsible for your death. She decided to teach me since we couldn't rely upon you to attract all the weird at this school," Susan said wryly.

Harry smiled ruefully at that comment. He was a magnet for everything abnormal at Hogwarts. "Tell your aunt she doesn't need to worry on my behalf. Still, good job out there."

"Well, it's not hard to cast when you've known how to do the spell for over a month. Oh! Before I forget. I was to give you a message if I saw you at Hogwarts. Auntie wanted to let you know that you're doing a 'good job' whatever that means and that she's been locked out of the loop with all things concerning you. What have you done to warrant that response from her and why is the Minister going after you again?"

It looked like he had a new potential ally in the Ministry. He'd have to approach her when he had time. "This and that. I would tell you, but lives depend on me keeping my mouth shut."

Susan moaned. "You're just like Auntie. 'I'd tell you Susie, but the lives of my men are at stake.' Sheesh, you two make it sound so dramatic. Oh well, I'll just work on her. I gotta go to make it back before curfew, later guys!"

As Susan jogged towards the door, he felt a pull through the bond from Egwene. "Come on you three, the meeting is about to start."

_Like a dog following his master. I bow to no one!_

Harry ignored Lews Therin as he walked out of the Room of Requirement towards the Headmaster's office. The walk went quickly and silently. He was thankful that Hermione had somehow convinced Ginny and Ron to stop asking questions about him. It allowed him to contemplate the best way to approach Dumbledore to apply pressure on the Minister. He was loathe to meet with the entire Order, but this had been the soonest opportunity Dumbledore had offered to speak with him.

Walking up the steps towards the office he could hear the murmur of voices. He wondered if Dumbledore was aware of how many of his Order members Harry had co-opted. His head peaked over the edge of the top stair to see a changed office. The dimensions had been expanded, easily allowing upwards of fifty people to gather in comfort. While Dumbledore's desk remained opposite of him, a long table dominated the room. Order members, many of whom he recognized mingled amongst one another as they waited to start.

"Harry! You're down here," Tonks shouted while pulling one of two chairs out from the head of the table. At once conversation stopped as he entered. He briefly greeted people as he made his way down to where Tonks was chatting with Moody. Where did Egwene go off to?

Just as he reached Tonks, the door to Dumbledore's private chambers swung open, admitting Dumbledore and Egwene. Hopefully Egwene persuaded Dumbledore to allow Greengrass to leave Hogwarts. He really wasn't looking forward to covering for Egwene if she decided to abduct her.

"Splendid. I see Harry and our student members have arrived at last. Harry, I apologize for being out of touch for nearly two months, but it is truly a pleasure to see you again."

"I made do," Harry commented with a neutral tone. "Shall we start?"

"Yes. Everyone to your seats," Dumbledore instructed as he approached the seat next to Harry. It struck Harry odd to see a few members of _Shen an Ellisande_ glance at him first for permission to take their own seats. Egwene took the seat on the corner to his left, with Tonks next to her. "I'll begin. While I spent nearly all my time and effort performing my duties for the IWC in Shanghai, I did take time to seek aid from our allied nations. While no firm commitments were offered without an official request from Minister Fudge, I believe that once the request comes from the Ministry we will be pleasantly surprised at the number of allies we have."

A smattering of applause could be heard at the end of Dumbledore's pronouncement. Harry scoffed internally. Good luck getting the Minister to do anything productive.

"Now I've heard all about the events that have occurred hear since I headed to Shanghai. I would like to thank Harry and his companion Mistress al'Vere for their assistance in stopping the revel in Pickering." More applause could be heard, this time more enthusiastically. "Harry, you have truly become a force to reckon with." Dumbledore withdrew his wand and flicked it. In front of him stood a Pensieve, completely unlike the one he had seen earlier. It was shaped like a globe, a lattice of stone that held a gravity defying glob of liquid.

"This is a most rare Pensieve. It projects memories externally, so that several can view it at once. To my knowledge it is the only one of its kind." Dumbledore stopped, turning to his side to gaze at Harry. "I do respect your privacy Harry, but I feel that more assurances will be needed if the Order is to condone the manner in which you deal with the Death Eaters. Could you possibly lend me a memory to display, which would demonstrate the philosophy you adhere to in battle?"

For the first time in over a month Harry felt true anger. Who did Dumbledore think he was to place such demands on him? The meeting had just begun and Dumbledore was acting as if he was in the wrong. Wait, he had a perfect memory. He would comply. But not without exacting a price.

"Wouldn't it be more appropriate to view the memory privately? I have many memories to choose from, none pleasant," Harry stated in an icy tone.

"Harry, to work well together we must all know what standard you will hold us to," Dumbledore insisted.

"You demand much for one who produces so little. Well done with your diplomacy. I am sure you are aware that nothing will be done until Fudge removes his head from his ass, although that won't happen without the aid of a blade." Snickers were heard as Dumbledore frowned. "Very well, I can be reasonable. I shall provide a memory. But you shall address my concerns. The Ministry has of recent decided that I am a threat to the wizarding public. No thanks to your loose tongue. While you have safely retained your good standing with the Minister, you have practically fed information about me to Voldemort. I want an oath from you that you shall do as I instruct in all future relations with the Ministry. I provide you with context to how I fight, you become my proxy at the Ministry. A fair trade I say."

Approval sang from Egwene over the bond. Harry knew that he had the old man over the stakes. From the angry mutters of the members present, he knew that Dumbledore's selling out of Harry's new identity to the Minister hurt Dumbledore's position. To retain their trust, he would have to agree to the bargain. Doing so secured Harry's dominance in the relationship.

"It would appear to be a fair trade," Dumbledore said softly moments later. "Shall I swear to you now or after the meeting?"

"Your word is enough," Harry stated. He already got what he wanted.

"I am glad you appear to retain some trust towards me. May we see the memory now?" Dumbledore asked as he raised his wand towards Harry's head.

Harry scowled at Dumbledore. "Not you. Tonks can extract it from me." He focused on the appropriate memory as Tonks placed her wand to the side of his head, only to extract an ethereal silvery substance.

"How do I work this Albus?" Tonks inquired as she held the memory in front of the Pensieve.

"Simply place the memory in and tap it with your wand when you're ready to play it. Could you provide us with some context before we start Harry?"

"Very well. You will see the conclusion to the battle of Dumai's Well. It will start with me freeing myself from captivity. There you will see the conclusion to the battle, as my allies overcome two factions determined to either enslave or kill me," Harry said as he stood up. "Remember, I'm the tall red haired man with these markings on his arms," Harry said rolling up the sleeves to his coat. "Dumbledore, if you would banish the furniture to allow for an unobstructed viewing?"

The table and chairs vanished promptly once everyone had stood. Looking once more at Harry for permission, Tonks placed the memory in the Pensieve and tapped it with her wand.

Instantly the room turned pitch black. Dull screams and the boom of thunder could be vaguely heard. Suddenly the black shattered, revealing him in the middle of what had once been a chest. He could hear Mrs. Weasley and Hermione's breath hitch as they saw his body, wearing tattered clothing with open wounds exposed and still bleeding.

Their attention shifted quickly to the screaming woman next to the remains of the chest surrounded by unconscious women. Lightning and fireballs could be glimpsed overhead, although not much else could be seen through the dense foliage. Most ignored them, as they focused on him trying to stand with his tortured body.

He watched himself finally stand to rush towards Min. Oh Min. She lived. She had to have survived. The Order now stared in horror beyond him, as Aiel fought Aiel, Aes Sedai wove devastating attacks at their opponents and his Asha'man extracted their pound of flesh - and then some. He noted Tonks ignoring the fight, paying rapt attention to him talk with Min.

He could hear someone get sick as he watched one green-coated man - one of Gawyn's Younglings - get impaled by a Maiden of the Spear. He could feel Lews Therin's satisfaction as he watched himself systematically dispatch Elaida's Aes Sedai guarding the ringwall of wagons.

Soon, as he remembered, the Aiel - both his and Shaido - broke through, swarming through the wagons. Shaido approached his position. He smiled as he saw himself shield Min with his body before using _saidin_ to burn them to a crisp. Order members who weren't at Pickering looked at him in horror.

Gawyn rode up, with twenty of his men. Egwene glanced at Harry with a start before snapping her head back towards Gawyn longingly. He could feel her anguish. This was when she was leading her Aes Sedai rebellion in Salidar, it was quite possible she never knew of his role in this.

As Gawyn and his men rode off, Harry braced himself. There, right after that fool Asha'man attacked Gawyn, stood Mazrim Taim.

_He lives!? _screamed Lews Therin._ Kill the Darkfriend! Better him than me. Or you I suppose._

Harry watched himself talk with Taim as the Asha'man formed their dome of air. Interesting. He couldn't see the weaves in a Pensieve. His stomach clenched looking at Taim. He had always known something was off about him, but to think that he had let that self-appointed Forsaken run amok with _his_ Asha'man made his blood curl.

This is the point he wanted Dumbledore to see. This is how he would fight when what he treasured was threatened. He heard himself say, "I told you to make weapons, Taim. Show me just how deadly they are. Disperse the Shaido. Break them."

Dumbledore gave him a sharp look at those words. Until this point, he had maintained a neutral look. No doubt his experiences from World War Two allowed him to stomach the violence, but now he focused on Harry with a disapproving gaze.

Harry ignored him to watch Taim shout out orders. "Asha'man, kill!"

He now heard several people get violently ill as the front rank of Shaido exploded. They simply broke apart into a mist of blood and flesh. Then the next row exploded. And the next. It continued for nine more waves before Taim's voice could be heard once more, "Asha'man, rolling ring of Earth and Fire!"

Now explosions erupted from the ground in fountains of flame and dirt. Shaido were tossed into the air only to be incinerated by the next eruption of flame in expanding rings.

Finally, his own voice could be heard. "Stop! Stop it, Taim!" The memory ended, restoring the view back to Dumbledore's office.

Vomit stained the floor and more than a few pairs of shoes. The Order members looked pale as they stared aghast towards Harry. Hermione was amongst a few women who were openly crying. Ron looked shell-shocked as he stared at Harry with eyes wide open.

"See Dumbledore. I stopped the violence once it got excessive."

Dumbledore looked sadly at Harry, before softly calling out a name. A house elf appeared, took a quick glance at the floor and set to work. "Harry, what I have just seen…more people died in those violent minutes then there are wizards in England."

Harry gave Dumbledore a dry look. "They wanted me dead. Why should I give quarter to those who would damn all that I love with their actions?"

"Albus! Lay off the lad!" Moody interjected before Dumbledore could retort. "He knows what he's doing. I sure as hell approve of his actions. He's taking the fight to the Death Eaters! You of all people, especially after the way we fought against Grindelwald, know that you can't win a war by simply reacting. We pissed away the seventies and only got a thirteen year lull."

The members of _Shen an Ellisande_ voiced their approval of Moody's statement. Once again he wondered if Dumbledore truly realized how thoroughly his Order had been co-opted by him. He had been careful to keep McGonagall at arms length during his full meetings to conceal the true numbers.

"Very well," Dumbledore stated after several moments of contemplation. "It looks as if the room is once more ready for furniture. Would everyone be so kind as to step back towards the wall?"

Seconds later the table and chairs had returned. Dumbledore whispered to the House Elf again, and light foods popped into existence over the table. "Now, shall we begin the meeting proper?"

It was amusing how…edited the reports were. Hestia Jones didn't even mention a quarter of the details she had fed Harry. Every report from one of his men simply emphasized that Voldemort had lain low since Pickering.

At last the meeting came to an end. Harry waited with forced patience for the members to leave him alone with Dumbledore. Egwene would only leave once she received assurance that she would be able to meet with Greengrass shortly.

"Dumbledore…" Harry stopped as he saw Dumbledore raise his hand.

"No, call me Albus."

"Very well, Albus," Harry said in a flat voice. "This is the last time I attend one of your meetings. No longer will I play your games, being fast and loose with information as if we are part of a social club."

Dumbledore simply rubbed his beard. "Harry, I'm truly sorry you feel that way. But it's for the best that -"

"No," Harry interrupted icily. "Your way caused us to lose the first war with Voldemort. It is only due to sheer luck, or your machinations that I was able to cast Voldemort out of his body when I was a one year old. You may be older - but I have far more experience in leading successful military campaigns."

Dumbledore nodded absently as he looked towards Fawkes's empty perch. "That may be Harry, but your way is also illegal. The Ministry is in its full rights to prosecute you and whomever is working with you for your actions."

He simply stared at Dumbledore as if he was a small child. "The Ministry can't even demonstrate control of its own facilities. I will not allow Voldemort and the Death Eaters to run rampant while tethering myself to a corrupt idiot."

"So you will simply choose to ignore the law?" Dumbledore asked in a disapproving tone.

Harry arched an eyebrow coolly as he leaned against the table. "There is no effective law. This is war. People will die. It's either us or the Death Eaters. I choose the Death Eaters."

Dumbledore frowned. "You did not experience the horror of World War Two. You -"

"I have seen far worse Albus. Grindelwald's War was only fought between humans. You would sing a different tune if there was a chance that your family would end up in the Trolloc's pot." Harry said with forced calmness.

Unwrapping a lemon drop, Dumbledore popped it in his mouth. Harry simply stared as he watched the man suck on the treat. "I can see that we will not agree. That is superfluous, seeing as how you apparently took command of the Order tonight. I am no naïf getting his first glimpse at politics."

Now Harry had reason to smile. "Nor did I believe you to be. Your ability to…guide people is commendable. Your capacity to be a General is where I find fault." He paused for a few seconds for Dumbledore to deal with the rebuke. "In regards to our bargain, I only have one simple instruction for now. Suppress all information about me. I guarantee anything that passes through that idiot's desk will find its way to Voldemort. I will handle all combat against the Death Eaters."

With little hesitation Dumbledore nodded his agreement. "This is quite vexing for me. I abhor your methods but cannot find fault with the results you seek. Perhaps your way is necessary." Dumbledore stopped to stroke his beard. "Forgive me for not saying earlier, but my most sincere condolences on the loss of your family."

It was only thanks to his training that Harry was able to maintain his disinterested expression. The Dursleys were dead? He had heard no word of it, but "No tears will be shed by me over their fate. I'll save them for those more deserving. Speaking of the fallen, have you heard any word from Professor Lupin since you sent him out?" Too late. Dumbledore's eyes flared open before he could squelch his shock, telling Harry all that was necessary. "May the Light shine on his memory. Now Headmaster, I'm afraid I have other obligations tonight. I wish you a good evening."

Harry promptly seized _saidin_, boring a gateway back to the roof of Grimmauld Place. Although he did not expect having to ever relive the memory of Dumai's Well, he had for the time firmly placed Dumbledore under his thumb. All in all he came out on top tonight.

* * *

The streets of London were quiet near the entrance to the Ministry later that night. Nothing living was in view of the phone booth, as litter tumbled by pushed by a wind from the North Sea.

A series of sharp cracks penetrated the silence as an even dozen black robes materialized out of thin air. A grim smile covered Walden Macnair's face underneath his mask as he scanned the surroundings, making sure no filthy muggles had seen them.

"Pity," Bellatrix crooned as she stalked towards the phone booth. "No appetizers. Oh well, Mummy will get her fill down down below."

McNair shivered. The woman was truly barkers. While he wouldn't have minded getting a taste back in the good ol' days, now she had the body of a ghoul and the mind of a rabid bitch. He started to follow her only to notice that all of his meat shields had stayed back. "Come on you pussies, get a move on before I tell our Lord of your cowardice."

He smirked as all ten of them scampered about to comply. The Dark Lord rarely punished his followers, but those who experienced it never forgot. Once in '76 he took too long with some muggle trollop and didn't complete his objective. His leg could now predict cold weather. Never had he seen so many variations of the Bone Smashing Hex used.

He suppressed another shiver as Bellatrix took his side upon entering the lift.

"I'm jealous you know," she whispered as the lift descended. "You get to meet such great new playthings. I'm stuck with the same old same old. No chance we swap love?"

His stomach clenched at the suggestion. It was tempting. The Dark Lord has been most explicit with his instructions however. That fox-man creature killed all who brought a wand into his realm. Bellatrix would bring one on purpose to goad it into a fight. No, thanks to his experience with the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures he was in charge with meeting that creature. "No Bellatrix, the Dark Lord was most insistent. I alone go in. You and the others kill everything else."

"Oh poo," she replied while she drew her wand out. "Well, like mum said, you bake a pie with what you got." The door of the lift chimed, signaling they had reached the Ministry lobby. Naturally the guard was asleep at his desk. A flash of green sprang from Bellatrix's wand killing him instantly. "See? I am the picture of discretion."

Without waiting for a response she strode forward. "Flint! Dispose of the body and take a Portkey back," Macnair ordered as he matched her pace. He swiveled his head back and forth, but no other movement could be found.

He had to restrain from laughing at how simple this was. There were now eleven Death Eaters clumped around the lift to the Department of Mysteries and not a peep of resistance. Fudge had virtually laid out the welcome mat for them.

The doors opened at last. Still no resistance. There better be some Unspeakables down below. Bellatrix was getting far too twitchy. He bet one of the lambs on this milk run was going to piss his pants from her alone. They all stood quietly as they waited for the lift to reach the Department of Mysteries. Forty seconds later, the doors opened at their destination.

"Hey! Who are you-" exclaimed a man in a grey cloak reaching for his wand.

"Crucio!" yelled some brat who thought he had the bollocks to serve the Dark Lord.

Bellatrix simply flicked her wand emitting a yellow beam that sheared off the Unspeakable's head. "E for effort dearie. However the game is to kill as quickly and messily as possibly. We don't want to tickle them into submission."

Macnair said nothing as he began the walk towards the room with the doorway. This is where those damn kids had bested him. His blood worked into a frenzy as he overtook Bellatrix. Someone would die for what happened to him here in June.

A grey cloak emerged from a hallway, its back to Macnair. Sometimes he had the luck of the devil himself. He flicked his wand up to send a Bludgeoning curse into the Unspeakable's back. A red mist formed as the Unspeakable dropped, a quarter-meter wide crater in its back leaking blood. A gentle pat on Macnair's shoulder made him swerve around.

"So lovely," Bellatrix said as she gazed upon the dead Unspeakable. "I'll give you that one. You best keep safe now. You must complete the Dark Lord's task."

Who did she think she was to tell him to hide like a Hufflepuff? She ignored him though, continuing at a manic pace towards their destination.

Up ahead he heard three strangled death cries. Entering the chamber that held the doorway, he saw Bellatrix twisting her wand idly in her hand as she stood over three cooling corpses.

"Only five?" Bellatrix complained as she perched herself on top of a desk in the room. "I still say we should have attacked at noon."

"Unfortunately the Dark Lord commanded us to attack now," Macnair responded as he approached her. "Here is my wand, I trust you to keep it safe."

The white mask just gazed back at him as Bellatrix gently cradled his wand. "Of course I will. Our Lord will need someone to dispatch all those unsavory creatures after all." Praise Merlin that she thought highly of him.

He raised his fist in acknowledgment as he marched to the doorway. It hurt his eyes to look at the redstone frame, its corners meeting at impossible angles. He took a deep breath and crossed the threshold.

It was as if he stepped through a sheet of white light. Immediately he found himself in a forest of pillars. Just like the reports said. It was a little creepy how they extended beyond his vision. He turned slowly. Good the door was still there. At least he wasn't cut off like that half-blood slut had been.

"Do you abide by the treaties and agreements? Do you carry iron, or instruments of music, or devices making light?"

Macnair whirled, reaching for the wand he didn't have. In front of him stood the fox-man creature. What in the name of Merlin was he wearing? Seeing the creature waiting for a response, he shook his head in the negative.

"It is good that you adhered to the rules. The penalty is now harsher to those who dare to transgress," the man stated as he began to walk through a five-sided doorway.

Seeing no other choice, Macnair followed him. This creature was disgusting. He mimicked human form, like some mongrel centaur. Turning to look behind him, he saw only a reflection of himself and the creature. How was he getting out of here? This was no time to lose his nerves. The Dark Lord would reward him greatly if he succeeded.

They walked for an indeterminate amount of time. At last, the black glossy walls gave way to an eight-sided room with smooth gray walls. At the end of each point stood glassy black pedestals. Those eerie yellow strips still covered every corner, emitting its dull light. He turned to look for his guide, but the creature had disappeared along with the entrance. He was sealed in the room.

Eight of the creatures appeared, standing atop a pedestal apiece, four men and four women. The men wore longer skirts that concealed their feet and thankfully wider straps that covered their chests. He cringed when he studied the women. They dressed human, with their long white skirts and white blouses with lace at their necks and wrists, but their narrow jaws and pointy ears poking through their pale reddish hair accentuated their impurity.

"Speak, by the ancient treaty, here is agreement made. What is your need? Speak, we may gift you three things," one of the bitches explained to him.

Three things!? The Dark Lord only wanted one wish. The other two were his to do with. Best that he do his duty first, then take his reward.

"I wish for the Dark Lord to be given the means to kill Harry Potter."

"Done."

"I wish for ten million galleons to be placed in my vault."

"Done."

"I wish to have my way with any woman I desire."

"Done."

He couldn't wait to get back. Who would he start with? Perhaps Narcissa, before moving to the younger generation…wait. Why were they laughing?

"Yet fool not to first agree on price," said one of the males.

"We will set the price," said a female.

What price? They never mentioned a price! One by one, they began to fade until only a male and female remained.

"What was asked will be given," said the female.

"The price will be paid," said the male.

Pain spiked in his head, and he knew no more.


End file.
